


Lost and Found

by Eleanorose123



Category: Darkwing Duck (Cartoon 1991)
Genre: Break Outs, Comedy, Confessions, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Imprisonment, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Prison, Romantic Comedy, Separations, Unlikely alliances, like...nothing really hateful but enough to put a warning up, sappy romance, the Steelbeak/OC ship is more...implied than anything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-04-05 19:33:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 31,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19046944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eleanorose123/pseuds/Eleanorose123
Summary: After being separated from each other, the Fearsome Four find themselves in awkward alliances in separate prisons. With Bushroot having to handle being around Quackerjack, and Megavolt and Liquidator having a hard time cooperating with one another, can the team manage to regroup? And what kinds of secrets will be spilled along the way...?





	1. Separation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After successfully capturing the criminals, neither Darkwing Duck or the Fearsome Four were prepared for the change in their routine.

To any citizen of St. Canard, sirens were the equivalent to crickets. The vehicles that blare them would pass by a home’s window so frequently that it became background noise to the civilians who lived there. It was just that type of city; one so littered with accidents, crime and trash for that matter, that of course there’d be an emergency around every corner that needed tending to.

Especially when that city is overrun by villains with super powers. And even more so when that city’s supervillains have alliances formed between them, thus being the case with St. Canard and its notorious Fearsome Five.

A conniving crew of crooks, the five were known for pulling the biggest schemes and heists around. Led by the vicious Negaduck, St. Canard was constantly at risk of his plans for conquest and riches, which were often pulled off by his super powered underlings. While a threat individually, no one could deny the sheer panic that came with the villains’ partnerships with one another. It was no secret that some of the alliances between the five went outside of their team’s plans, although no one could understand why they would do so outside of mutual interest of chaos and mayhem.

But no matter how dastardly the foe, no matter how impossible the odds, the city could rest at ease knowing there was a masked vigilante always there to protect and defend them from evil. Even if most of the population barely even considers Darkwing Duck’s existence to be noteworthy, much to his constant dismay.

Tonight hadn’t been one of his particularly low point nights however, as the crime fighter stood proudly by his sidekick, taking in the sight before him. He had just outwitted Negaduck and stopped his plans of a museum heist, and while his doppelganger got away during the chaos, Darkwing was able to apprehend the rest of the Fearsome Five to the point of imminent incarceration. Not bad for a Tuesday night.

“Wow, DW! It’s not every night we get to lock away so many baddies at once!” Launchpad remarked, as the two watched the police handcuff a dazed Bushroot and shove him near the rest of the equally tired and disorientated group. “What kind of gas did you use on ‘em again?”

“A new experimental formula from S.H.U.S.H,” Darkwing stated matter-of-factly. “They said it would be able to put your mind into a haze, and make you feel as if you’re asleep when you’re actually awake.”

“Geez, it sounds like math class.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” He laughed at the notion, having heard Gosalyn say the same sort of thing many times before. “Well, can’t say I’m mad that the looney bin decided to rob a place. Gave me a chance to try out this stuff, and man is it great to see the bad guys go off to jail without their cockamamie speeches of revenge to grate my ears.” Adjusting his cape for a moment, Darkwing elbowed his friend. “C’mon, LP, let’s go reap the rewards of our righteousness. It’s _gloating_ time.”

Sticking his chest out, Darkwing approached the zoned out crooks, with Launchpad following close behind. To be honest, the sidekick didn’t particularly want to be anywhere near the bad guys, especially not after they’ve lost, but he knew if he didn’t go along with it, his friend might get too into his ego and do something he might regret. That, or the cops might mistake Darkwing for a criminal and toss him in the jail truck with the others…again. That wasn’t a good day.

“Well, hello boys. I’m loving your new accessories.” Darkwing gestured to their handcuffs, pulling Quackerjack’s up to see them closer. “Bracelets are very in I see.”

“Ngh, not as in as…as…” The jester could barely keep his eyes open let alone think of a decent comeback to the taunt. Of all the villains to shut up, Darkwing was very pleased Quackerjack was one of them. “…ugh, Megsy I can’t think straight.”

“Ha, that’s…not all that’s not straight…” Megavolt laughed a bit before stumbling over to the other, his balance teetering. “…what was I saying again?”

“Aw, poor lil Megavolt; still can’t keep up with the world can we, Sparky?” Launchpad audibly gulped at the purposeful tease, knowing how that nickname sets the electrical rat off. The only response given by said rat was a low growl and a spark that faded as quickly as it came, choosing to instead collapse his head on Quackerjack’s shoulder.

“Ten out of…ten doctors recommend you…walk away now before you regret it.” Liquidator managed to say, stuck in a glass container rather than being chained up due to his form. With his energy levels so low, he could barely keep his form together, making his capture all the easier. Needless to say, Darkwing wasn’t threatened by a glass of tired water.

“Oh, I will walk away. To those nice policemen over there, before they send you to St. Canard’s pretty, precious prison. I’m sure you’ve all missed your sweet home away from home after all.” Turning around with a dramatic flap of his cape, Darkwing looked over his shoulder smugly. “Be sure to let the other crooks know who sent ya!”

A resounding groan was all the response he got, as the four just wanted to head back to said prison already, if only to rest. Bushroot picked up Liquidator’s glass prison off of the ground and held onto it like it was the only thing keeping him standing up. Quackerjack, on the other hand, couldn’t even manage that anymore and toppled to the ground in exhaustion, taking Megavolt down with him. The pair whined loudly at the pain, and Quackerjack reached for his partner’s hand to hold in apology.

“Geez, that gas really is somethin’. They’re completely wiped out!” Launchpad remarked as they walked away, occasionally taking a moment to look back to confirm his statement. “I mean better that than violent, but still. Almost wish it was just sleeping gas.”

“Launchpad, if I knocked out those knuckleheads then I’ll never be able to get any information out of them! Police interrogations never go well; this is a far better opportunity to get them to spill the beans on their plans!” Darkwing grimaced for a moment. “And to give me an idea as to where that no good Negaduck has run off to this time.”

“I dunno, DW. None of those guys seem up to talkin’ right now.” He took a look back again. “I swear Megavolt just zapped himself to try and wake up more.” Darkwing ignored his companion’s complaints in favor of checking in on the police.

“Ah, fellow justice deliverers, I take it you’re pleased with your latest additions of jailed criminals?” Darkwing asked, wiggling his eyebrow in a way that practically screamed, ‘give me praise for my job well done’.

“Oh, uh, Darkwing Duck!” One of the officers chuckled at the sight of the masked hero. “Good work out there! Civilians will be at ease knowing this lot’s behind bars.”

“Not as at ease as they will be when I get their leader to join them. I wonder, what kind of strategy will we be using this time for interrogation? I’ve always been a fan of the good cop bad cop angle, I really think I’ve nailed-“

“Sorry, Darkwing, we’re not bothering with the usual routine this time around.” The officer in charge stepped forward, and rubbed at the back of his neck. “There’s been a lot of complaints and breathing down our necks about how often criminals escape St. Canard’s prisons, no matter how hard we try.”

“Well, maybe you just need a devilishly suave crime fighter to come around to strike fear into those who’d even consider breaking out!” Darkwing struck a few poses as he talked. “I can stop by and act as an example of what those crooks will face if they dare to try to hurt this dear city again! They won’t know what hit em.”

“Actually, they probably will. You do that whole announcement thing every time you enter a room.” Launchpad chuckled nervously as his friend glared at him.

“While we appreciate it, we’re trying a new system this time.” The officer looked over at the current Fearsome Four. “This group is causing a lot of mayhem together as of late, some even doing it more than they would individually. The idea is separation; split the group as far apart as possible, and hope that’s enough to throw them off the idea of escape. Plus, it’ll be harder to break them out if no one knows where they are.”

“Oh…” Darkwing couldn’t help but deflate a bit. He was looking forward to being able to deal with the group as a whole. Still, he could manage them individually too! “Well, I can always stop by anyway! Where are you splitting them off to? I can make a list!”

“We can’t afford to split them into four different prisons sadly, we could only get one out of town prison to volunteer their space for our criminals.” The officer pointed to the villains. “That’s why two of ‘em will be staying here in St. Canard, and two of them are getting shipped off.”

“Two of the most dangerous criminals of all time are going to be outside of my jurisdiction?!” Darkwing cried out. The outburst seemed to have jolted the criminal group a bit, looking at one another in confusion and worry. The four wished their minds weren’t so cloudy so they could’ve listened more to the conversation prior.

“Now now, Darkwing. You and I both know neither of us wants this.” He placed a hand on Darkwing’s shoulder, the other stiffening up at the contact. “But it’s for the best.”

“Having the possibility of another city facing the wrath of _my_ foes isn’t for the best.” Darkwing sneered, shoving the hand off. “I know these guys better than anyone; I can’t just let them go where I cannot follow to keep their keisters in line!”

“And that’s why we need your help with this! You’re the one that knows them best.” Watching the hero go from fuming to confused, he continued. “Listen, you’re right, they could very well escape again, but think about how much harder it’ll be for them to cause chaos with their whole team is disarray. If you split them up in a way they can’t cooperate well in, then the chances of escape are that much lower! Plus, we can make sure the two that stay are the two most likely to talk, and we’ll be able to get all the info we need out of them.”

Darkwing took a moment to process it all. The ever so nagging call of worry and distrust was still ringing in his head, but the very idea that this was something only he could do was winning over in his mind. Yes, this _was_ something no other hero could do, a decision no other person could make! And if he played his cards right, he’d be regarded as the hero that took down St. Canard’s worst threat. The very idea sent shivers down his spine, and the mental image of his foes locked away so his beloved daughter could grow up in a safer world made his heart warm.

“Alright, if this is something you can only rely on me for, here’s the plan.” Darkwing turned on his heel and walked over to the Fearsome Four, still too dazed to do much of anything, but their attentions focused as much as they could be after hearing of a potential split up. “In terms of weakest links, there’s no one weaker than Reginald Bushroot, so he is a definite stay in St. Canard.” The mutant plant duck glared at the insult, holding his friend closer as he shook at the idea of breaking under pressure. “Now as for his companion, I can’t say the others are as open lipped. Liquidator would put up the biggest fight, Quackerjack would twist our words back at us, and Megavolt…oh I wouldn’t think he’d have anything good to spill by the time we’d get to talk to him.”

“Hey, I can hear you, you know?” The rat spoke slowly as he sat up from the ground, still holding onto Quackerjack’s hand as the other sat up as well.

“That being said,” Darkwing continued, eyeing the close contact between the two criminals. “I’ve seen this pair too many times in the past. Their combined insanity offers nothing but chaos, and I could never in good conscious let that chaos go to another’s streets. So…with all that being said and done…” He held up a finger to point out his arrangement properly. “Bushroot and Quackerjack stay here, while Liquidator and Megavolt are carted off to who knows where.”

“ _WHAT!_ ” The group cried out, suddenly feeling very awake.

“Alright then, now that that’s settled-“ The chief officer whistled to his fellow men. “Let’s pack ‘em up and move ‘em out boys!”

“N-n-no wait! You can’t do this!” Bushroot stammered, as a police officer approached him to take Liquidator. If he had more strength, and wasn’t in such a blind panic, he would’ve tried to have smashed the glass container to free his friend, but the cons outweighed the pros to the situation, and Bushroot could only watch helplessly as the officer all but tore the jar out of his hands. Liquidator stared at him through the glass sadly.

“Worried about long distance? Worry not!” He managed to say to try and calm Bushroot in his emotional state. “The Liquidator will surely find you once his strength returns! Just…just hold on until then, Reggie…” The latter sentence was spoken softly, causing Bushroot to clench his eyes shut and nod his head as another officer came up behind him to drag him away, passing a far louder kerfuffle from his other teammates in the process.

“You can’t split us up! It’s-it’s against the rules!” Quackerjack whined as two guards tried to pull him away from his partner, their hands refusing to let go. They had little strength to try and do anything else in their protest. “We’re getting locked up anyway, why’s it gotta be in two places?!”

“Unhand me you animals!” Megavolt yelled, wishing his charge would be more effective than the static shock level it was currently at. The more he struggled against the police officers’ pull on him, the harder it was to keep hold of his friend’s hand, and before long, their hands were split apart. “No!”

“Megs!” The jester called out, as their detainees pulled them away from each other towards separate trucks. He could see Liquidator already being placed in one across the street, and spotted Bushroot from the corner of his eye already being shoved into a truck clearly headed for St. Canard’s prison. “I’ll get out and find you as soon as I can!” Quackerjack yelled before being shoved into the truck himself, struggling how he could. “Just-! Ngh, don’t forget me, alright!”

“I won’t!” Megavolt called out almost desperately. “I won’t forget, I promise! I’ll find you!”

With that final call, the villains were thrown in their vehicles, and the doors slammed shut behind them. Megavolt winced from the impact of hitting the truck’s walls, before finding himself slipping into unconsciousness, his energy finally fading away to nothing. He could see Liquidator’s glass strapped tight to a seat for a moment, before the last bit of light entering the vehicle was closed off, leaving the villains literally in the dark as to where their next destination was. Megavolt was glad he was too close to rest to even take into account his anxiety to dark and closed off spaces.

The other truck had no need for blinding, the two criminals locked up inside knew exactly where they were heading. Bushroot wrapped his arms around himself at the thought and rested his head against the wall as they started to move. Looking over, he could see Quackerjack pull down at his hat in worry, clearly still upset about being apart from his dear friend. But they’d been apart before, the plant duck thought, it couldn’t be any harder than it was before right?

As both prison trucks went their opposite ways, Darkwing stood by Launchpad with a trace of worry on his features.

“I…” he gulped. “I made the right choice…right, LP?”

“Y-yeah. I’m sure everything will be fine.” There was a moment of silence between them before Launchpad spoke up. “We should probably head home now, huh?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Darkwing yawned suddenly feeling exhausted. “Home sounds great right now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am the writer that types in the night!
> 
> lol Hi there! Thanks for checking out my story, hope you enjoyed the first chapter! This story was really fun for me to write, and there's tons of fun stuff waiting for you to read! So with that in mind, have fun! :D


	2. Welcome to Prison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two separated villain duos adjust to their old and new surroundings.

By the time Bushroot woke up from his pathetic attempt of rest in the armored vehicle, he could smell salt water. A brief glance through the barred windows all but confirmed the fact they were traveling across the waters to the super villain prison’s island, and he grimaced at the thought. Unwrapping himself from his own arms, he looked over to his “some-what-of-an-ally-although-we-haven’t-spent-a-lot-of-time-alone” companion to see how he was fairing through all this.

The term, “extremely not well” sprung to mind instantly.

“Geez Quackerjack, haven’t you slept at all?” he asked with a yawn. That gas still had a number on him, but at least the sleep he had gotten helped it fade away. That, and the early light of dawn giving him the nutrients he’ll need before his doomed enclosure of prison’s darkness. “You look awful.”

“Well, you’re never a bouquet of roses yourself, Bushie, but you don’t see me mentioning it.” There was a clear lack of energy in his voice as he spoke, the playful tone Quackerjack was known for replaced by a grouchy one. His eyes were locked at the floor, deep in thought about something that made Bushroot not want to prod him further about.

Wanting to avoid conflict with his prison mate, Bushroot turned around to stare out at the vast waters. The only thing he could see aside from the blue sea was the distant blur of St. Canard, and a few seagulls flying overhead. The plant sighed, listening to the waves crash against the ship their truck was boarded on.

He already knew he was going to miss having Liquidator around to get through this.

Bushroot snapped out of his thoughts when an officer started banging on the truck’s wall, letting the duo know of their upcoming arrival to the island. Turning back, he was startled to see Quackerjack slap himself in the face _hard_. The jester whistled loudly before slapping the other side of his face, a laugh soon following.

“Looks like the trip’s almost over, Bushbrain! Good, cause I need to do something new before I go screwy!” Quackerjack laughed, the bells on his hat rattling as he moved around the truck.

“Li-Like that hasn’t already happened.” Bushroot stammered, taken aback by the sudden shift of mood the other went through. He jolted harshly when Quackerjack turned to look right at him with full attention.

“Ooo, good one! But you know, if we’re going to be each other’s buddies for this little jail game,” The toymaker jumped over to Bushroot’s side of the truck and wrapped an arm around the plant duck’s shoulders. Bushroot winced as he felt the other’s handcuffs graze the back of his neck. “I’m going to have to teach you some _way_ better comebacks! Yours are as flimsy as a dandelion.”

Before Bushroot had a chance to retort, the truck’s doors opened. Ever the hospitable, two officers all but grabbed at the pairs arms to drag them out of the vehicle as harshly as they were thrown in. Quackerjack cackled and made a comment over how the guards shouldn’t act so familiar around him, while they were led to a helicopter that would take them up to the prison perched precariously on top of the island rocks. Bushroot looked behind him to stare at the waters one more time, hoping to steel his nerves for what’s to come.

He’d never been forced to bunk with just Quackerjack before, and frankly? The thought scared him.

“Oh, please let this be one of our shorter stays…” he mumbled.

* * *

 

“This’ll be one stay in prison you won’t be getting out from, scum!”

Megavolt growled lowly, already not liking this new warden yelling down at him. By the time the electrical villain regained consciousness, he and his liquid “pal-who’s-not-quite-a-pal” had already arrived at the strange new prison they were assigned. He also had the displeasure of waking up already stripped down from his battery and costume to wearing a standard orange jumpsuit. He usually could convince guards to let him at least keep the goggles for sight reasons, but clearly he missed his chance this time around and would be doomed with poor vision for a while.

“You may think that you’re all that, being the top dogs back in St. Canard…” The warden marched back and forth in front of the pair, Megavolt holding onto to a still contained Liquidator, and glared before pulling out a whip and smacking the desk behind him hard. “But you’re not in St. Canard boys! You’re in my prison now, and you ain’t worth nuthin’ here!”

“That’s a double negative.” Megavolt remarked absent mindedly. The whip was brought down again on the desk, giving him a jolt.

“I didn’t recall asking for English lessons from you, spark rat!” The warden spat out, his height towering over the other as he leaned down to his face. “You just lost your rations for the day. Talk in front of me again and we’ll find out just how long you’ll last without food to keep you going.”

Sneering, Megavolt held back from an outburst. It would be much harder for him to escape if he was completely deprived of food, even if it was just cruddy, cold prison slop. He started tapping at the glass in his hands in an effort to hold back his urge to yell, much the Liquidator’s annoyance.

“I’m sick of looking at these walking trash bags. Take them to their cell!” Signaling to two large guards by the door, the warden turned to sit at his desk and watched as the villains were led out of the room. “I’ve got my eye on you both, don’t try nuthin’ funny!”

“Ha, right. Like _I’m_ the bad guy here.” Megavolt stuck his tongue out once he knew they were far enough away from the warden’s office. “What a jerk.”

“Says the guy causing my head to burst open.” Liquidator growled, and shook around in his jar to get Megavolt to stop tapping the glass. “If you don’t act now, you’re sure to get a bruisin’, my shocking compatriot!”

“Whoops, my bad.”

Walking down the corridors of cells, the two looked around at who their fellow prison buddies would be. A majority seemed to be buff thugs who growled as they passed, but there were a few slim, shady looking fellows sitting on their beds. A best guess would be lackies that lacked luck and ended up in this joint, but needless to say, no one quite offered a level of fear and worry to the two super villains. These criminals were nothing like the ones they were acquainted with, but it did offer its own concern to Liquidator in particular.

He couldn’t recognize anyone they passed, meaning wherever they were shipped off to, it was far from the general radius of St. Canard. It wasn’t a thought that went through Megavolt’s mind however, who could only laugh at the cells’ design.

“This is so rudimentary! It’s like the first couple of prisons St. Canard used to throw me in, before they actually started _trying!_ ” Megavolt cackled. “Oh Likky, can you believe our luck? We’ll be out of this dump in no time!”

“You…do realize we’re standing right here, right?” One of the guards asked, a little put off by the disturbed rat.

“Yeah, what’d ya want? A sticker?”

“Megavolt, while I admire your positive thinking, it would be best if planning escapes was a one on one offer, hm?” The water villain swirled around in his glass prison, frustrated. Liquidator really hated being lugged around like luggage by others. Well…all but one he supposed.

A memory of Bushroot’s hurt face as they were separated flashed in his mind for a moment, causing Liquidator’s annoyance to shift into worry. He had to break out fast, at least he and his current teammate were on the same page about that.

“Relax,” Megavolt rolled his eyes. “What are they going to do? Starve me?”

“That already happened, the warden took away your rations for today.”

“Oh.” He paused, vaguely piecing together the conversation from earlier. Really, the only things that stood out from that encounter were the anger Megavolt felt from being yelled at and the smell of the warden’s breath on his face. “Well, that bites.”

That train of thought was cut off as Megavolt got shoved from behind, stumbling forward and trying to hold onto Liquidator’s jar. Adjusting his stance, Megavolt found himself in a cell unlike the other ones they passed. While the rest of the prison seemed to have standard cells of bar doors and dingy dark rooms, the cell the super villains were doomed to stay in was white and almost sterile, with a thick glass window being closed behind them. It seemed brand new, and it felt like a fishbowl, being looked in upon by the guards that led them.

“Enjoy your stay; you’ll be here forever.” One of the two remarked before they started to walk away.

“Hey! What gives?” Liquidator yelled out. “Am I supposed to stay imprisoned in a prison or am I going to get out of here!”

“Oh right.” A guard walked back and pointed to Megavolt. “You can open him up now, he’s not going anywhere.”

Feeling Liquidator shake the jar more and more out of frustration, Megavolt all too harshly slammed the glass down to the floor, hoping for it to break. To both of their anger, the jar only bounced up from the impact, straight into Megavolt’s jaw. Falling backwards, the electric villain let out a noise of annoyance from the pain, before scrambling to grab the cursed container and started unscrewing the lid.

“Stupid! Water mutt better appreciate-!” he cursed under his breath. Once the lid came slightly loose, it was pushed off entirely as Liquidator all but leapt out of the jar in a burst of water. A few splashes came close to Megavolt who shrieked as he tried to dodge them. “Watch it! I’ll short out!”

“Ahhh, the top pleasure of the day; not being cooped up in a tight little space!” Liquidator said as he twisted his torso to stretch out himself out. “Although I suppose I only hopped into a larger container, when all’s said and done.”

“Glad you’re up to speed with our predicament.” Megavolt got up and looked out of their cell’s large window, seeing if any guards were around, while also eyeing for any escape routes. “Now unless you actually _want_ to stay here for a nice vacation, can we figure out our plan to get back home?”

“We? Ha! Who needs _we?_ ” Liquidator stated, hands poised on his hips. “The Liquidator can work without batteries to assist him! Why bother with burden when escape comes to those with liquid forms?”

“What!” Megavolt squeaked out, turning around sharply. “Y-You can’t just ditch me here!”

“Sorry, but I can, so I will!”

Spotting the ventilation grate of the room, Liquidator shot himself upwards to meet it. Sliding around the air ducts would be an easy escape route, just as it has been for St. Canard’s lovely attempts in the past. Just as he reached a hand out to start his escape, he froze.

Quite literally, as the vent was giving out a sharp blast of cold air that nearly turned his fingers to slush.

With a yelp from the sudden temperature change, Liquidator shot back down to the ground, blowing on his fingers to try and warm them up. The stiffness that came with becoming a freezie, even for a short moment, was agony for someone so used to constant fluid motion. He growled, realizing his chance for escape wouldn’t be as easy as he previously thought. Looking up, Liquidator found himself staring straight at a very smug Megavolt.

“Sooo, about that escape plan…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a heads up, the next couple of chapters will be set up with the intention of half of it being the Bushroot and Quackerjack dynamic, followed by the Liquidator and Megavolt story line. There's plenty of chaos to come from both prisons!


	3. Analyzing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quackerjack tries to play with Bushroot, while Liquidator and Megavolt come up with a plan for escape.

Settling back into the prison routine was a fun game.

At least, it was a fun game to Quackerjack. But to be fair, the crazed toymaker could turn any situation into a game as easily as he can turn a grenade into a race car, given the motivation. He had a knack for twisting things to fit his pleasure, which was more than he could say for the dreary plant sitting next to him in the mess hall of the prison.

“Buuushieee!” he called in a sing song voice, waving a hand to get his attention. “Time to stop being such a weeping willow already! If you don’t eat your slop soon, you know I’m taking it.”

“Oh, have it. I’m not hungry for slop anyway.” Bushroot slid the plate over, not even bothering to look at Quackerjack as he spoke.

“Goodie! This stuff’s _real_ stretchy today!” Quackerjack cackled before scooping up the strange substance. They never really questioned just what their meals were in terms of substance, they just ate what they were given.

As he ate, the jester looked around the mess hall, barren as ever since his stays here. Despite the many tables filling the room, it seemed there were only ever enough occupants for one of them. They should feel honored; St. Canard were so scared of the Fearsome Five they made a jail just for them. Still, with all the elbow room that came with the place, Quackerjack couldn’t help but feel like this game would be less fun with the fewer players he had to play with.

Especially since Bushroot continued to be a spoil spud.

“Hey, Bushroot, whaddya think of our new friends?” He pointed to the officers stationed around the doors of the mess hall. “Heehee, check out Mr. Mustache over there! I bet he’s a hoot, you should say hi!”

“I’d rather not, thanks.” Bushroot grumbled, shuffling away from his crazed companion. It had only been a few hours, but he was already feeling the discomfort of their reluctant partnership. “The less I have to deal with the law, the better.”

“Hm, so not your type huh?” Quackerjack mused, and nodded to himself in thought. “Makes sense considering your track record.”

The plant raised an eyebrow at that. “What’s that supposed to-“

“I got it! You can schmooze it up with lady of the left over there.” Grabbing Bushroot’s head, he turned it in the direction of the officer stationed by the wall on their left. A stern faced woman with a scar over where her right ear should’ve been. “I’ve had fun with her in the past. Quite a screamer. Go on! Make her day!”

“Just what are you even asking me to _do_ , Quackerjack?” The mutant pushed himself away, causing Quackerjack to go into a fit of giggles. Damn, he needed to loosen up. “I’m not going to go hit on an officer when they’re the ones keep me locked up in the first place!”

“Oh, Reginald, how _scandalous_ of you to think such things!” The toymaker teased. “Why oh why would I want to see something as gross as you trying to _flirt?_ Egh!” He shuddered. “How naughty.”

“Wha?” Bushroot gaped. “But-but you just said-!”

“I _meant_ you should go torment the guards to the point where they’re too distracted to notice you grabbing their keys.” He harshly whispered, rolling his eyes at the absurdity. “Geez, you act like this is your first breakout.”

“So when you said…she’s a screamer, you didn’t mean, um…” The mutant’s cheeks lit up. Quackerjack wondered if all plants could blush like that or if it was just a Bushroot thing. “Then what _did_ you mean?”

“Let’s just say, she was all ears before I got too close.” Giggling at the memory, he gave a wave to the woman. “Hey Sherry! Been a while!”

Sherry, as her nametag read, jumped a bit hearing the maniacal toymaker’s voice, before growling and pulling out her club. “Oh, you keep your funny business to yourself, you-! You-!”

“You! You!” Quackerjack cackled. “ _You_ should be thanking me! You’re saving a fortune on earrings now, honey!”

Bushroot gasped as Sherry started coming towards them. He did _not_ want a situation arising so soon into their incarceration. Trying to defuse the situation a bit, the plant wrapped his vine arms around Quackerjack and closed his beak.

“It’s fine officer! He won’t say anything else, I promise! You uh- get back to your guarding!” He winced. Bushroot really didn’t talk well under the pressure of violence. Regardless of how shaky he seemed, it at least seemed to do the trick as Sherry returned to her post. Or maybe she was having second thoughts after seeing the criminal eyeing her other ear. “Do you have to be so provoking?”

“Beats wallowing away like a sad sack of potatoes.” Quackerjack mocked as the vines around him lessened their grip. He rubbed at his sore beak. “My, what else are those vines good for?”

“Don’t go there.” Bushroot glared before bringing him arms back. It seemed like he was quite reluctant to divulge in adult matters like that. Interesting. “…what were you on about earlier with my so called track record?”

“Just what I said, ole Bushie! When it comes to people you’re most likely to kidnap and torture, you lean more towards the feminine side.” Quackerjack remembered seeing Bushroot’s debut on the news, and reading some of his charges when the jester was rummaging through an old warden’s office one evening. How a meek plant like Bushroot managed a body count that high was beyond him, but left a lot to the imagination. “What’s wrong? Did mommy not hug you enough growing up?”

“My mother was a saint, leave her out of this!” The mutant swiped, aiming to smack the other’s head, only to miss as he ducked down.

“Oh really? Then I guess it really does all boil down to that incident with Rhoda Dendron, huh? Could’ve been worse…what a shame it wasn’t.”

Bushroot stiffened at the mention of his old co-worker. The only one that liked him and now has a restraining order against him due to attempted mutation. Deep down, he knew he deserved that. Sort of. His moral views had greatly shifted since his days working in the lab with her. “You knew about that huh?”

“I know _plenty_ about you, melon head!” Bushroot was really starting to consider making a list for all the nicknames he’d been given at this point. Resting against the table, he listened to Quackerjack’s rambling. “You were a big nerd who studied plants, you’ve always had poor social skills, you worked at St. Canard University- did you know I studied there? Swell joint. You’ve also have a habit of-“

“Wait just a moment!” Bushroot shot up. “ _You_ went to St. Canard University?”

“Yes, attending the local boredom-shack made the most sense at the time. And that’s coming from someone that doesn’t make much sense now!” Quackerjack laughed. “But as I was saying-“

“What did you even study? Robotics? Engineering?” The plant duck refused to let this topic go. The sheer idea that Quackerjack- of all people _Quackerjack_ was able to attend his alma matter astounded him. “Maybe business since you ran a toy factory?”

“Oh no, nothing fun like that.” Quackerjack rolled his eyes. It did make sense now, but he was a different duck at the time. “I studied psychology. Got to learn the workings of the mind; ironic ain’t it?”

Bushroot thought about that for a moment. He passed the psychology halls on his way to his lab a few times and could remember overhearing some of the lectures. The topic definitely had interesting qualities to it, but the work that went into the field of study just wasn’t for him. Reginald wanted to spend that time going towards society-changing achievements after all.

“Y-yeah,” he laughed awkwardly. “I guess I never pegged you as a psychology drop out of all things.”

It was a small reaction Quackerjack made, and one that Bushroot didn’t pick up on at the time. His ever so present smile twitched and his posture shifted into something that appeared more relaxed than it was before. He stared at the plant with a half lidded gaze.

“I was a graduate, actually.”

“Haha, good one.” Bushroot did not pick up on the tension building up between the two of them, and continued. “Like you have a degree in psych.”

“Oh?” Quackerjack leaned forward slowly, his voice far too calm for the situation. It wasn’t as much he was offended by the insinuation, it was more just how casually Bushroot seemed to brush him off. It felt like a switch at the back of his mind just decided to flip and change how Quackerjack played around. “You don’t think I could diagnose you, _Reginald?_ ”

Ignoring how venomous his name was said, Bushroot laughed and decided to play along. “Sure. _You_ be the one to tell me what’s wrong in my head.”

“…you’re not prey, you are a predator.” Quackerjack started. “You don’t make an effort to better yourself because you subconsciously believe you can get people to pity you enough to like you as you are; trapping them in that pity to stay with you. Which probably stems from playing the part of the bullied nerd most of your life.”

Bushroot’s eyes widened. “What?”

“You seek out an idealized version of society’s expectations of an average person so you can feel like you belong in an average society…and that was even _before_ your mutation. Now that desire is amplified to the point you feel little to no remorse towards others that stand in your way. Hence why most of your villainous plots outside of the Fearsome Five come from sources of outlash towards things that pester you. Now that you have the power to do something about how others treat you, you feel it’s your right to use it.”

“Hey now, that’s-“ Bushroot began to sweat. What kind of substance a plant could sweat was a curious concept, but sweat he did when he noticed several of the guards listening in on the discussion. “Okay, okay! I’m sorry for doubting you, Quackerjack! Just _please_ stop!”

“See? What’d I tell ya? The minute you get backed into a corner you either try to worm your way out of it through pity or through violence. So, the _real_ question here is this…” Quackerjack leaned in close, taking in the sight of the trembling plant. “Are you going to fight back against me for telling you nothing but the truth?”

Bushroot took a few shaky breaths before shaking his head in apology. Seemingly pleased with himself, Quackerjack stuck out his tongue before standing up and walking away from the table to go bother a guard instead. The mutant sat there shell shocked from it all before Sherry’s voice snapped him out of it.

“ _Damn_ , he destroyed you.” 

 

* * *

 

Liquidator considered himself a reasonable person. Self centered, greedy and overall criminal yes, but he was reasonable to a point. So of _course_ a reasonable person like himself would be willing to stay behind in prison to help a fellow teammate break out.

Totally not because he couldn’t escape on his own and needed the assistance, _no_.

“So allow the Liquidator to summarize our plan thus far!” His voice echoed in their cell, much to his sitting company’s annoyance. “Come recess, when we’re escorted to the yard, you and I scope out as many nooks and crannies of the joint as possible to better prepare for our refreshing escape!”

“It won’t be easy.” Megavolt sneered. “I’ve been blindfolded, gagged and handcuffed before for these things…at least I _think_ I have. Anyway, I highly doubt they’d just let us explore. But it should be easier for you to look around since you can’t really contain bodies of water. Unless they jar you again, which’ll send us back to the drawing board.”

“Doubtful? Viewing life from the negative lens? Might I recommend blind optimism that things will work out! Guaranteed to at least put anxious thoughts at bay!”

“I’m not anxious, I’m just realistic.” The electrical rat picked at the fabric of his clothes. Liquidator sometimes missed habits of touch like that. “Grrr, I can feel my charge coming back but I know the minute I’m out of this cell they’ll just wrap me up in rubber!”

“A dilemma we both face; you with rubber insulation and myself with convoluted _glass_.” If it wasn’t so strange being a body of water like he was, Liquidator would have spat at the word. “But even then, it beats a sponge.”

Megavolt snorted. “Oh yeah, how many times has ole Dipwing got you with that trick?”

“As many times as he’s shorted you out with water, pal.”

Before Megavolt could get in a quip, the duo jumped as a loud buzzer rang through their echo-y cell. Glaring through the window they saw two guards arrive, one inputting a code into the cell’s lock while the other younger looking one was shaking, having been caught in a staring contest against Megavolt. Needless to say, the guard was losing.

“Seems like it’s play time, get ready.” Megavolt whispered to his comrade, earning him a strange look.

“…are you inclined to talk to a stuffed doll?” Liquidator playfully began to mock. ”Do you use phrases like “it’s play time”? If you answer yes, you may be spending too much time around a certain toymaker!”

“Zip it!” There was a prominent blush spreading across the rodent’s cheeks as what he said finally clicked in his brain. That would have to be a topic to go into for a later time, Liquidator noted.

The watery canine watched as the glass wall that kept them locked up rose open, the guards on the other end entering the cell as it did. He braced himself for whatever was to come, knowing what he had to do for their escape plan’s success. The sooner he could scope out the prison, the sooner they could formulate a plan, and the sooner that’s done and they escape the below average jail, the sooner Liquidator could go back to St. Canard and be with his dear plant companion.

Oh, and he supposed Megavolt could tag along for the ride.

“Alright you two, time to head to the yard, no funny business.” One of the guards grabbed onto Megavolt’s arm and tugged him out of the room. The other guard tried to do the same with Liquidator to no success since you can’t really hold living liquid. Deciding to throw the inexperienced guard a bone, the villain just moved out of the room himself, leaning in close to Megavolt to whisper;

“Why haven’t they restrained us?”

“I dunno, I should be in a straightjacket by now.” Megavolt whispered back, eyeing the guard in front of him and the one behind the two of them. Liquidator could practically hear the gears in the electrical maniac’s head turning as he tried to process this. He had a good ten years of super villain experience over Liquidator, so despite the memory problems, Megavolt was a better source of prison know how than him.

“Maybe it’s a hidden weapon situation.” Liquidator mused. Villains had hookups like that in their bases…prisons aren’t so different from bad guy lairs, right? “As in, we step out of line, we’re shot down or something?”

“Can’t be. This place is lacking in _a lot_ of technological breakthroughs, it’s all I’ve been hearing from the lightbulbs here.” Megavolt bit at his bottom lip as he mused, looking around the jail as he walked. There really…wasn’t anything special. In fact, comparing what they were going through to the average criminal’s escort it almost seemed-

Megavolt stopped walking, and Liquidator had to hold himself backwards to prevent a collision between the two. It would get him such an earful if he accidentally shortened out his cellmate. Not to mention getting electricity running through him would have him jittery for hours.  The young guard behind Liquidator wasn’t as lucky though, and faceplanted straight into his watery back, drenching his front.

“Enquiring minds would like to know, what’s the hold up?” Liquidator questioned. Not getting an answer, he growled and twisted around to look Megavolt in the eye. Accusations died in his mouth however when he saw an oh too familiar and sinister smile creep onto the rat’s face. The smile that promised chaos through voltage with it. “…what?”

“Oh, _Likky_ …these idiots aren’t equipped to handle _super villains!_ ”

Before the guard in front of them had a chance to properly react to the outburst, Megavolt grabbed onto his arm and unleashed a plethora of electricity to his body. Normally he’d be wearing rubber gloves to not only offer comfort for himself, but would also lessen the damage that would come with full blasts of electricity. But they took his costume away, so he felt little remorse to the screams the guard made before passing out. He’d live anyway.

Liquidator watched in intrigue at the display before hearing scampering behind him. Seeing the other guard run away from the villains brought forth a surge of inspiration, and Liquidator quickly took to stretching his arm forward to catch the panicked youth in his watery grasp. With a quick retract, he slammed the fool down on the electrified guard, knocking him out in the process.

“I take it we’re improvising now?” Liquidator smirked, as he heard more guards approaching them. As he watched Megavolt pull out a device from one of the guard’s belt that he recognized as an electro-rod, he could practically taste freedom.

“Like Quacky always says…” Megavolt cranked up the electrorod’s power without even needed to hit a button. It crackled eerily before he slammed it down onto a metal railing and spread electricity throughout the frame. “ _It’s playtime!_ ”

Liquidator chose not to comment at that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a general note; I'm an Animation graduate, not a Psychology major, so Bushroot's absolute roasting was more from a character analysis P.O.V. lol listen I love that plant duck disaster, but he needed to hear that. Quackerjack being a psych graduate was inspired from all his psychological manipulation plots! He impressed me multiple times! Smart jester!
> 
> I'd like to think that subconsciously the sheer fact Liquidator and Megavolt are water meeting electricity is a reason the two are having a hard time working together. Can that change? Who's to say? ...well, I guess the next chapters can answer that.


	4. Apologies and New Surroundings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Bushroot recovers from receiving a psychological smack down from Quackerjack, Megavolt and Liquidator investigate where exactly they wound up.

Bushroot really hated prison.

Or rather, he hated being locked up in a cell since it forced him to be very alone with his thoughts. No window of sunlight for him, that’d be too easy. Just three walls of cement for the mutant to stare at and twenty three steel bars keeping him in. Counting things was just one of the few time killers Bushroot learned from his stays locked up.

He played absent mindedly with his head’s foliage as he sat on the cold ground, a leafy hand pulling at the petals and releasing in a looped cycle as he thought about things. He thought about his greenhouse and how he hoped Spike was behaving himself. The pet had a tenancy to be far more accident prone when he wasn’t being watched. But at least he could move about and feed and water his fellow plants, that fact gave Bushroot some peace at least.

He tugged a little harder at his petals when his thoughts shifted to Liquidator. Last he checked it was around midafternoon, making it around half a day since the separation, but every hour felt like days to the mutant. Worry and loneliness made the situation all the worse. If he at least knew _where_ Liquidator was he could picture his status, but with all the unknown variables surrounding the situation, Bushroot’s anxiety kept coming up with new worse case scenarios.

Liquidator could be half way around the world for all he knew. He could be experimented on for his mutation until nothing was left except for a puddle. Or he could meet a far more confident, charming and villainous villain that would render Bushroot as nothing more than a faded memory to the watery canine.

The last thought made Bushroot pull out the petal on his head he was playing with, yelping at the pain.

“Are you playing ‘he loves me, he loves me not’ with yourself over there? Can I have a turn?”

Rubbing at the sore spot on his head, Bushroot refused to look over to the crazed toymaker in the cell across the hallway from him. “I thought you weren’t talking to me.”

“And I thought Mr. Banana Brain here wouldn’t cheat at Go Fish,” Quackerjack shook the doll in question, giving it a glare. “Apparently we’re both wrong.”

“Wait, where’d he come from?” Bushroot repositioned himself on the floor to face the cellmate across from him. Distractions like Quackerjack _did_ help keep his mind off of other things at least. “How’d you get him past security? I though they confiscated that doll when you were frisked.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” He shuddered at the memory, the bells on his head ringing as he shook. “Those guys are zero fun. But at least the guards are nice enough to throw me into the same cell every time.” Scooting over to the side, Quackerjack revealed a stash of items hidden behind a loose brick in the wall. “So I’m plenty stocked with backup Banana Brains and toys…the boring kinds anyway. The ones that can’t do damage, snore.”

“Yeah, but he don’t share, Jer!” The doll in question piped up with his high voice. Bushroot fought back a grimace. He really hated that doll.

“I uh- I take it that’s where the cards came from?” he asked meekly. “That’s uh…pretty smart of you.”

“Oh right, I forgot I’m supposed to be an idiot, aren’t I?” Quackerjack jeered, watching the plant grow flustered from the accusation. Still a bit bitter from everything that happened between them earlier, he blew a raspberry. “I’ll try not to use any fancy words then! Don’t wanna offend the smart science boy!”

Bushroot grimaced. He did walk into that one. Watching Quackerjack turn his back on him, Bushroot rubbed at his neck, not really sure what his best course of action was at this point. He _was_ sorry for belittling the fellow villain, but he also hated being told he relied on pity to get his way.

Mostly cause Quackerjack was right about him.

The whole thing just made Bushroot feel like he got smacked in the head with a reality hammer, with the jester being the one swinging the weapon. He did seek out his own sense of normalcy in his “anything-but-normal” life, but did he really have a tenancy to lash out when he couldn’t wimp his way out of problems? A mental list of unfortunate individuals who were crushed, strangled or otherwise damaged by him or his controlled plants came to mind. The theory checked out.

Still, it did little good for Bushroot to isolate himself. He was already isolated from sunlight, fresh air and his partner…why do the same to the only person he could call friend now? Taking a breath, he knew that he’d rather have a Quackerjack on his side than having him hate his guts.

“I’m sorry for not taking you seriously. You are a very capable engineer and a skilled psychiatrist.” Not that anyone could guess, he mentally added. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

There was a good length of silence after that. Bushroot wrung his hands in worry, mentally kicking himself for not saying the right thing. But before long the cell across from him had echoed snickers, followed by giggles that lead on to full blown laughter that had a guard run in to make sure nothing was happening. Realizing Quackerjack was just being himself, the guard whacked the cell bars and told him to keep it down before returning to his post.

“If you think you’re capable of offending me, _actually_ offending _me_ , then you’re just as crazy as I am, Bushie.” Quackerjack wiped a tear from his eye. “Do you actually suck up _this much_ to people or am I just special?”

“I just do what I can I suppose.” Bushroot sighed. The dynamic they had now was better than the hostile one before at least. Now he didn’t have to worry about having his back turned in the courtyard.

“Hmm,” Quackerjack mused, his beak resting on his hand as he looked at the plant. “In that case, how about Dr. Quackerjack here offer you some tips! Gosh, I outta charge you for all this free service.”

“You keep losin’ cash, Brash!” Mr. Banana Brain chimed in.

“What? What kind of tips?” he raised an eyebrow at that. Tips from Quackerjack could range from ‘how to fit a bomb in a teddy bear’ to ‘how to skip rope while running away from police officers that didn’t enjoy having their eyebrows blown off by a teddy bear’.

“Tips to surviving Dorkwing Duck’s interrogation, silly!” He smiled and spoke like this was common knowledge. Bushroot had actually forgotten all about how he was sentenced to stay in St. Canard because of his ability to break under pressure. Damn that masked jerk. “Allow your resident doctor give you all the skills you need to ensure you won’t end up on the nasty side of Negaduck’s chainsaw for treachery.”

“Not sure what being a doctor has to do with that,” Bushroot gulped. “But yeah. Help me, please.”

Moving to sit on his bed, Quackerjack proceeded to pull out some glasses to wear as he lectured. Bushroot couldn’t even be bothered to even imagine where he got those, and chose to listen to the advice being offered to him. A lot of it was basic behavior cues he was insulted Quackerjack thought he wasn’t aware of, but there was a fair amount of valuable information on verbal and physical ticks Bushroot would display whenever he lied, or how to escape from an anxiety overload.

As he listened, he really did regret ever considering the jester to be as foolish in the head as he was in his personality. Even if he did occasionally argue with a doll.

 

* * *

 

The air was thick and the ground was damp. Those were the immediate first thoughts Megavolt had when he entered his new surroundings. Of course, he didn’t get to think much on anything since he was too busy hightailing it out of the chaotic prison building, Liquidator leading the way. In fact many of his thoughts blurred together as he ran.

_Run. Shock the bozo on the left. Don’t listen to the poor lightbulbs screaming. Run. Zap the door close behind us. Don’t forget your partner. **Run.**_

His train of thought derailed when his boot came down into a puddle, splashing up his leg and giving him a strong jolt. Megavolt cursed out loud at that; it wasn’t enough to short circuit him completely but it did making focusing on his zaps all the harder, his aim getting sloppy. The one saving grace was that he was at least in his trademark jumpsuit now and not his cotton prison uniform. Liquidator might’ve complained about the wasted detour, but Megavolt was not about to take his chances with the outside world without at least _some_ precautions.

Not everyone could be a naked mutant after all.

“This just in!” The mutant in question proclaimed. “There’s a 100% chance of escape for two super-convicts once we get through the front gate!”

The gate in question didn’t prove too much of a threat. The brick walls were decorated by the flashing lights the main building gave off, and the guards standing by quaked in fear as they watched the prison explode in a beautiful combination of electrical malfunctions and spreading flames. In fact, all Liquidator had to do was tower over them for a moment before they all ran off screaming in different directions.

“Wherever we are, these chumps really don’t get the super villain experience often, do they?” Megavolt sent an electrical zap flying towards the last guard to run. With a scream, the man landed face first into a puddle. Megavolt grimaced at the sight; it really _had_ rained earlier.

“At least we provided them with that experience, for a limited time offer.” Shifting his watery arms around, Liquidator created a large hammer and knocked down the gate door. It fell with a resounding crash to the ground, revealing a long strip of road leading to a city in the near distance. “I take it that city’s our best bet to blend in with the crowd and avoid recapture.”

“Whatever gets me a roof over my head. I’ve got a feelin’ the rain’s going to come back any second now.” Staring up at the dark clouds as he ran, a shiver ran down Megavolt’s spine. Yup. Lightning was coming alright. “We should’ve nabbed one of the cop cars, it’s going to take us forever to walk there.”

“No can do; it’s onwards we must go, not backwards. You already wasted enough of our time going back for your stuff.”

“Oh, like you didn’t enjoy seeing the warden scared out of his wits.” Megavolt chuckled through his breaths. All the running was starting to get to him. “For someone that acted like he ran the place, he fell apart pretty quickly by the time I got to him.”

“He did run the place. He was the _warden._ ” Liquidator shook his head. “Less talk, more running. Before the guards get their wits together to _actually_ start chasing us.”

Looking out at the distance between where they were and where they needed to be, Megavolt groaned loudly. “I’m not busting my lungs out running; some of us actually need to _breathe_.”

Sliding to a stop, Megavolt assessed their surroundings. There wasn’t much of anything in the barren fields that separated the prison from the main city, but there were telephone poles and cables. An idea came to mind, and he started to climb up the nearest pole.

“Inquiring minds want to know: what is the delusional delinquent up to this time?” Liquidator asked, clearly annoyed his companion stopped moving horizontally and took to the vertical. “If the top is your goal, then the Liquidator will gladly provide a lift if it helps move us along! I needn’t remind you of the cops on our tail, do I?”

“Touch me with those watery mitts and feed you to a dirty sponge! You’ll short me out!” With a huff, Megavolt climbed up the remaining notches of the pole. Adjusting himself to the balancing act of the wires, the electrical rat began skating upon the dangerous ropes, a trail of sparks flying behind his feet. “Better catch up fast, nimrod!”

Growling at the insult, Liquidator couldn’t argue that his company was at least picking up speed. Readjusting his form, Liquidator took to the form of a wave and pushed himself forward to keep up. The rainwater on the asphalt made gliding easier to his delight.

Watching the city come closer to view, Megavolt could practically hear a symphony of lights calling him from the towering buildings. Each of them yelling different things, but none of them giving the information he needed to figure out where on earth he actually was. Thunder booming overhead snapped Megavolt out of the electronic conversations in his mind.

_Focus. Get to the city. Find home. Don’t forget, don’t you **dare** forget!_

Reaching the outskirts of the city, Megavolt skidded to a halt and jumped off of the high wires. The landings never got easier for his feet, but it saved awkwardly crawling down poles. He could go up them fine, but crawling back down took way more time than necessary.

As Liquidator reformed back to two legs, he took a good look at their surroundings. A lot of the tall buildings and darkened alleyways reminded him of St. Canard, but there was a strong difference in atmosphere. Where their hometown always conveyed the small light of hope in the darkest of times, to every villain’s dismay, this city felt like hope was nothing more than a distant dream.

Even from where they were standing, Megavolt and Liquidator could feel the desire to be criminal radiating off of passing civilians. There were signs plastered on every building from the police of reminders to behave and to comply, and they were all slandered in one form or another. What didn’t leak unpleasant ooze from the overfilled trash bins were scattered across the sidewalks, and a scent of ever present mold filtered through the air.

“Quaint.” Liquidator mocked, nudging his companion as he did. “If St. Canard goes up in flames at least we’ve got a backup plan, huh?”

“And have to listen to all this constant chatter?” At first Liquidator thought Megavolt was referring the crowds of people, but corrected himself once he realized the rat had been glaring hard at a neon lit sign over their heads. “I’d be working every second of my life trying to rescue these loud mouths! Where the heck are we anyway?”

Trying to avoid being spotted while also wanting answers, the duo slid into a nearby alleyway. Liquidator was able to keep himself transparent, but he did realize it’d be hard to keep up their animosity with Megavolt’s clearly villainous attire. A disguise of sorts might be needed depending on how long their stay would be.

It was frustrating dealing with another person when all Liquidator wanted to do was get back home as fast as possible. He knew his companion was the same for his own reasons, but he was sure their goals vastly differed in motivations. Thankfully, his thoughts of longing for a certain plant’s presence were interrupted by a vending machine catching Liquidator’s eye.

“Well, isn’t this a surprise?” He said amused. Sliding closer to the machine, he was able to confirm his suspicions. “I think we finally got our answers in regards to our unknown whereabouts!”

“Really?” Megavolt raised an eyebrow at that. Nothing the vending machine was saying gave anything like that away, it was only blabbing about how terrible its outlet cord was. “Then enlighten me, Likky.”

“Want to be stressed out of your mind? Do you desire undesirables lurking behind you at every corner? Tired of having an overall safe lifestyle?” Liquidator twisted himself around with his sales pitch tone, raising his arms up for the big reveal. “Then visit New Duck City! One of the most over packed and crime overridden capitals in the world!”

 “New Duck City?” Megavolt gawked, before taking a moment to think. Nope, nothing came to mind, not even fuzzy static. He must’ve never heard of the place, or didn’t care enough to even try and remember it. “How far is that to St. Canard then? My feet hurt, but I’d rather be hurting there than here.”

“Mmm, sadly if memory serves me right, which it often does unlike present company,” He got a glare for that. “Our beloved city is a good four hour drive from here. Which checks out with how long we were out in our transfer vehicle. So unless you can zap us up a ride now, we’ve gotta find us some wheels.”

“This is why we should’ve nabbed a cop car! Gah!” With a frustrated noise, Megavolt let out a zap of electricity to a trash bag down the alleyway, which exploded on impact.  The sight of destruction helped a bit, but not quite enough. “How do you know we’re in New Duck City anyway, Water head?”

“Simple.” Extending his arm out, Liquidator rummaged through the vending machine’s contents before procuring a bottle of water and pulling it out to show. “They’re the only city that never returned their stock of Bud Flood’s Sparkling Crystal Pure Water! …I really should be offended they’re still selling it at all. I don’t even get the profits!”

“Oh, that’s just _perfect!_ Dipwing Duck really did us a solid; dropping us off in the middle of stinkin’ city where the worst kinds of criminals are bank thieves and gang bosses!” He groaned at a realization, a gloved hand smacking his head as he did. “No wonder that stinkin’ warden wanted us in his prison. He probably wanted to say something like ‘hey! We can capture super villains so you normal folk better think twice before fighting us!’. Bunch of low lights.”

“I take it you meant low lives?”

“…What’d I say?”

“Never mind.” Liquidator shook his head. “While I’m completely onboard with sticking the blame onto our obnoxiously obstacle of an enemy, he _did_ provide us with one saving grace by sending us to New Duck City of all places.”

“Really, what’s that?” Megavolt inwardly winced when Liquidator wrapped his arm around his shoulder. As long as he wasn’t drenched in the infernal water, he should be safe from short circuiting at least. He still wasn’t too big a fan of being touched though.

“A little birdie once told me about a little shindig of a bar F.O.W.L. agents were known to lurk around in. And how that bar is under the jurisdiction of an operative from St. Canard.” He raised a finger to explain the plan. “We go, we find him and we get him to take us home, free of charge! And if he won’t, we’ll just force him. I know I can be very persuasive.”

Megavolt frowned. He never really cared to pay attention to their antics, but even he knew that F.O.W.L. wasn’t exactly an organization you’d want to get on their bad side with. They came closer to world domination plots than Negaduck could even hope to try and achieve. Still, the two villains were limited with their options as is, and he really, _really_ wanted to keep on track.

“Fine, let’s go get us a ride.” Pleased with the answer, Liquidator released his arm and went to travel down the alley towards the street. “What’s the guy’s name anyway?”

“Someone by the name of Steelbeak if I recall. I doubt he’s a big deal though.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [gentle gasp] Fearsome Four vs F.O.W.L. agents? In my DWD fanfiction? It's more likely than you think.
> 
> Anyway, looks like Bushroot and Quackerjack have formed a strange friendship. Hooray for communication! Amazing what being locked up in a prison can do to one's social life. But can Bushroot really handle an interrogation against the terror that flaps in the night? He better try.
> 
> Alternatively, welcome to New Duck City! The area is roughly based around New York city...from what I've heard anyway. I will admit, it was a challenge just thinking about a Duck-pun location name. Also, would you drink water you knew came from a super villain?
> 
> Just a heads up, the story structure is going to change a bit for the next couple of chapters!


	5. Interrogation Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darkwing Duck has arrived to get the information he needs out of Bushroot...but of course it's never that easy.

Darkwing Duck could handle many things. Escaping impossible situations, diminishing villainous plots to ruins and being able to maintain a crisp, ironed cape despite everything were a few examples of that. However, managing his daughter while she ran around a top level security prison was proving to be more of a challenge than he anticipated.

“Keen gear! So this is where all the bad guys go to rot!” Gosalyn exclaimed as they entered the building. When she heard her dad was going in to interrogate Bushroot, she knew she had to sneak along for the ride. Brandishing her camera, Gosalyn was prepared to gather up as many shots as she could of the layout for potential crime movies she’d make in the future. “So where’s the guillotine room where they chop off their heads?”

“Gosalyn! Guillotines haven’t been a part of the prison system for centuries, you outta know that from your history class!” Darkwing groaned. “Just, try to behave yourself okay? It’s bad enough you sneaking into a _prison_ of all places, but daddy’s got work to do here!”

“Yeah, it’s a lot of work making a guy with a stem for a spine talk.” Gosalyn rolled her eyes as she noticed some guards and a person who seemed important walk towards them. “I’ll just say I’m a youth interested in learning about the law and I tagged along with Darkwing Duck for a tour.”

“Oh, _sure_. Like anyone would buy that-“

“Darkwing Duck!” Waddlesworth welcomed with a smile. Two guards stood by the warden’s side watching as he turned to Gosalyn. “I see you brought a little girl along, I take it she’s interested in pursuing law enforcement too?”

“Gee whiz, I sure am, mister!” Gosalyn said with her cutest kid voice, shooting an ‘I told you so’ face to her father.

“Don’t start, missy.” He whispered before turning back to Waddlesworth. “Warden Waddlesworth, a pleasure as always. I take it you haven’t been having too much trouble with the conniving crooks I caught for you?”

“Oh, none at all!” Waddlesworth laughed as if he wasn’t the one guarding two of St. Canard’s menaces from the public. “It’s been much easier dealing with _two_ supervillains over the usual four! I’m actually thankful we got all those complaints, this whole thing’s been _very_ successful so far!”

Darkwing raised an eyebrow at that. “Uh huh. Well, be it all the same, Waddlesworth, I’d personally be _far_ happier to see _all_ of the bad guys locked up where I can see them.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you’re not the one locking them up then!” The overconfident man gestured for Darkwing to follow him as they ventured further into the building. “I tell you, out of all of the Fearsome Five members to leave here, I’m so glad you picked Bushroot. The gardens never go bad when he’s around and we don’t even have to feed or clothe him!”

“Yes, well, I actually picked him cause-“

“And Quackerjack might be a handful when he’s bored, but I always found he was the most compliant to following orders and schedules! Fact, I don’t even know why we bring him here at all! It’s not like he even has super powers.” He laughed, not noticing how one of his guards began to grimace and rub her scar. “What a looney.”

“I used to wonder how villains got out so easily,” Gosalyn whispered to her dad. “Now I get it.”

“Ahem, Warden Waddlesworth,” Darkwing stated, tapping at the man’s shoulder. “I hate to derail your…fascinating views of murderous malcontents, but didn’t you call me to interrogate that no good Bushroot so we can seek out Negaduck and send his rotten keister to his own cell?”

“Well actually, you called us, Darkwing-“

“Any who!” He grabbed the man’s arms, Darkwing’s patience lessening every moment he had to spend with him. “Interrogation! Room! _Where!_ ”

“Oh, just down the hall to the left, Sherry here can escort you!” The guard in question nodded and began walking in that direction. Darkwing released his grasp and went to follow her, with Gosalyn following close behind with her camera rolling. “Ooo, you filming a movie, kid? You want me to do some monologing? I’ve been told I’m a great actor from one of the inmates before!”

“No thanks, I’m not interested in making a stooge movie.”

 

* * *

 

The room was quiet, with only a desk and two chairs in it, a criminal sitting in one of them. Bushroot fumbled with the handcuffs, which were practically useless on his strikingly thin wrists, as he stared at the large door across from him. He had been in these things long enough to know soon someone would come right through that door to yell at him, while others watched it all happen behind the one way window to his right. Even if he couldn’t _see_ them, Bushroot hated feeling their gaze.

He sighed, putting his head in his leaf hands. He just had to endure this for a while before he can get back to his cell. Despite their rocky start, he was actually glad he found himself wanting to go back to Quackerjack’s company. The jester helped him out a lot in preparing for this, and it calmed his nerves to know once he got back they could talk some more.

As well as discuss ways of escape. And ways to find out where the rest of their team was shipped off to.

“Hi-yah!” The door was kicked open with a loud bang, causing Bushroot to jump up in his seat. He shook for a moment as blue smoke entered the room, only to groan upon realizing what was happening. “I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the stove you swore you turned off! I am-!”

“An egotistical maniac with a desire to be noticed?”

Darkwing tripped over himself, not expecting a comeback like that to come from Bushroot of all foes. Not letting it phase him, he quickly got back up off the floor and dusted himself off, giving Bushroot a forced smile. “Hey there Reginald, I take it you’re enjoying your lifetime stay here?”

“Oh yes,” Bushroot nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. “At least when I’m here, I don’t have to worry about you and all the damage you cause to the city daily. Really is a load off.”

“I don’t-! I hardly ever-!” Darkwing gritted his teeth, holding back the desire to yell. Not yet; he had to still play the good cop role a little longer for this to work. Bushroot’s the type to fall apart when under a mountain of stress, so you’ve got to build up that mountain bit by bit. “I’m sure I’m not the only one you’re happy to be away from. After all, ole Negsy is still at large.”

Bushroot swallowed, instantly picturing the chainsaw and murderous gaze at the mere mention of Negaduck’s name. He knew if he said anything now, he’d be a stammering mess. Bushroot took a breath and held his hands together before staring at Darkwing with a small smile. “Yes, and you’re doing a _terrific_ job in capturing Negaduck. It’s only been _seven months_ since his last capture after all; you going for a new record in incompetence?”

“It’s only been six months, fifteen days and four hours since his last arrest, _actually!_ ” Darkwing stood up on the table, hovering over Bushroot, who was still looking smug at him. Where was this confidence even _coming_ from? “And I know you know all his hideouts buddy, so unless you want to be mulch, you better start talking!”

“Threatening a helpless prisoner?” Bushroot raised his chained arms to his chest in mock pain. “My, some hero you are.”

“I _am_ a hero, you no good, sorry excuse of a walking salad bar!”

“Darkwing!” A young voice echoed into the room. Bushroot could only assume that the young girl that would often hang around the hero was in the other room watching the event. Why she’d do that was beyond him, but it wasn’t like she was a priority to him. “Don’t you think a hero like yourself should try to keep a level head, rather than be a hot head?”

“I’m as level headed as I need to be!” Darkwing jumped up and down like a child and pointed towards the mutant. “ _He’s_ just being _difficult!_ ”

“Please, if you want easy, I’ll give you the information you need if it means you leave sooner.”

Darkwing snapped his head to Bushroot’s direction. “You will?” Just then, the table Darkwing stood on began to shake and collapse after all the jumping done on it, having the hero crash to the ground. Coughing, he got up again, his voice laced in pain as he spoke. “I mean, of course you will, if you know what’s good for you! So, where’s Negaduck?”

“Here’s a little secret just for you then.” Bushroot leaned over, and Darkwing leaned in closer to hear. “Negaduck never tells us anything about his hideouts. So, your guess is as good as mine where he is.”

Processing what he heard, Darkwing’s anger quickly rose. His fists shaking, he muttered plenty of curse words he’d rather his impressionable daughter not hear from him. Thankfully, before he resorted to doing something he might regret in front of prison officers, the door swung open with a panicked Waddlesworth wiping sweat from his brow in the doorway.

“Darkwing Duck! I just got word from New Duck City police; the rest of the Fearsome Four escaped captivity! They’re on the loose!”

Bushroot froze, his eyes widening at the news. He could see Darkwing rushing towards the door, a slew of questions spilling from his mouth, but Bushroot couldn’t hear any of it. The room truly went silent after the door closed, leaving Bushroot to process what he heard. A genuine smile crept on his face as guards eventually entered to escort him back to his cell.

Liquidator got out. And now Bushroot knew where he was.

 

* * *

 

Quackerjack was focused as he worked on his card pyramid, his tongue sticking out as he worked. Before, he was playing Old Maid against Mr. Banana Brain, but the doll was up to his own cheaty ways, infuriating the villain to the point he didn’t want to play with him anymore. So he turned to stacking the cards in a pyramid while he waited for his cell neighbor to return.

It wasn’t often Quackerjack was alone in a cell block, and he couldn’t say he liked it. Sure he had his plush friend to talk to whenever he needed, and he would spend plenty of days and nights alone even in freedom. But there was always a nagging part of his head that demanded sentient company to talk, annoy and or play with.  

Normally he had Megavolt to help with that.

With a sigh, Quackerjack started work on the second row of his pyramid, his thoughts already wandering to his partner. It wasn’t just the absence that put a worrisome amount of concern on him, but the _distance_. If his dear friend was sent somewhere over seas it would be that much longer for the jester to find him, even if he was able to break out of prison today. And the longer it would take, the more likely it’d be for Megavolt’s memories to fade, as they often did about things…

Squeezing his eyes tight shut at the thought, Quackerjack knocked over the work he’d done, the cards in his hands crumpling from his grasp. No, he was being silly thinking something like that. He knew Megavolt better than anyone and that _wouldn’t_ happen, it just wouldn’t.

But the slight possibility just made him hurt.

Noises of footsteps came into hearing, causing Quackerjack to drop the cards he was holding. Crawling over to his cell bars, his face lit up as he saw Bushroot being escorted back. The plant made for decent company at least, when all’s said and done.

“Ooo, look who came back in one piece!” He remarked, watching as Bushroot got shoved into the cell. Quackerjack waited until the guards finished locking the door and returned to their posts before he continued. “And with a smile like that on your face, you look like you just offed Darkwing Dolt yourself!”

“Hardly, although the temptation was there.” Bushroot laughed. Quackerjack couldn’t help but notice that was one of the more genuine laughs the mutant had made since their capture. “Your tips worked out great by the way; calling him out on his flaws definitely derailed his thought process-“

“Yeah yeah, the psychology mumbo jumbo is magical, I know,” He shook at the bars in excitement. “But you _really_ look like you’ve got some great news to tell and I’m just dying to hear it! Even if it’s just gossip, I wanna know already, so _spill!_ ”

“Keep your voice down!” Bushroot urged, his hands gesturing for the other to calm down a bit. He looked down the halls to see if any guards were listening in. Thankfully, they were mostly uninterested in the two convicts’ chatter. “I don’t want the guards to over hear us.”

“The tension is _killing_ me, Bushie, so you better start blabbing before I start chucking playing card ninja stars at you.” Quackerjack brandished a card, and within an instant folded it into the weapon’s shape to make a point.

“Liquidator and Megavolt are in New Duck City,” Bushroot whispered. “And they _escaped!_ ”

Quackerjack’s smile grew even more than usual at the news. He never doubted the two could escape on their own, but hearing they got out so soon made him bounce up and down in glee, his bells ringing as he did. Giggling loudly, he grabbed Mr. Banana Brain and hugged him tight.

“Megsy will be back before we know it! New Duck City’s only a few hours’ drive from here when a normal person’s behind the wheel, and he’s one of the fastest drivers I know!”

“I know! And Buddy’s even faster since he can travel through the sewer systems.” The mutant grimaced a bit at the thought before laughing a bit. “Mind you, I always found it unpleasant when he’d do that. He’s never dirty obviously, but it’s more just the fact he _did_ that, you know?”

“…Buddy, huh?” Quackerjack gave Bushroot a look before laughing as the plant started to blush. “Didn’t know you were on first name terms with Likky, he _hates_ it when I call him that.”

“Ah, well, you see it’s more just-“ Bushroot sighed heavily, knowing he wasn’t going to get out of this. Especially since all his stammering just made Quackerjack laugh more and give him a knowing look. “…we were going to tell you guys eventually…”

Quackerjack took all the pieces Bushroot was offering him and started putting together the puzzle in his mind. A couple of months ago, Negaduck had Bushroot and Liquidator go off to do a heist together while the rest of the team went hideout hunting. The heist didn’t go so well as they apparently got interrupted by Darkwing and chewed out by Negaduck for it, but the whole time the two villains behaved like it didn’t bother them much. That bothered Negaduck though, and they were on lookout duty for the next twenty four hours since they technically didn’t need rest breaks anyway.

Things hadn’t changed in the group dynamic since then, but there were the occasional moments where the two would sneak off from the team for one reason or another, as well as decline several invitations to hang out without Negaduck after their meetings in favor of walking home together. Sometimes Bushroot’s cheeks turned a darker shade for no apparent reason, and Liquidator had developed a habit of not paying attention during their planning sessions, much to their leader’s immense annoyance. Put all the pieces together, including Bushroot’s latest comment and…

“Awww! You two are dating aren’t you?” Quackerjack snickered and couldn’t help but stick his tongue out teasingly at that. “Gross, you _do_ have a dating life.”

“Yeah, it’s uh-“ Bushroot cleared his throat, a bit embarrassed. It was his first actual relationship, and this was the first time he was telling someone about it that wasn’t a plant of some kind. “It’s been pretty nice. He makes me happy.”

“Spare me the sap!” Mr. Banana Brain chirped out.

“I think what my plantain pal means is, save it for sleepovers, you don’t have to spill your heart out to me.” Quackerjack rolled his eyes. “This ain’t high school you know, who even cares?”

“Negaduck would.” The room’s atmosphere shifted with that remark, a clear wash of fear and grimace washing over the duo. “Knowing him, he’d probably want our heads and that’s…mainly why we didn’t say anything to you or Megavolt either.”

“Yeah, Negaduck isn’t really a mushy type, that’s for sure.” Quackerjack squeezed his doll a bit. “But, Megsy- _Megavolt_ and I don’t care about that junk, trust me. Don’t worry, we won’t blab to the boss. Although you know, now I’m probably going to have to mock you two whenever I can.”

“Oh no. You _would_ , why didn’t I think about that?” Bushroot put his face in his hands and let out a muffled groan.

“Yup, once we get out of here you better expect plenty of teasing, Bushbrain!” So many ideas immediately sprung to mind, but Quackerjack chose to push the back for the more pressuring matter at hand. “And speaking of getting out of here, I think it’s time we get talking of our own plans. We’re not damsels waiting to be rescued; let’s get the heck out of here so you can go running into your precious Romeo’s arms.”

“You’re right, and I’m on board, but _please_ for my own sanity, hold off on the couple jokes for a while, I’m _dying._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Villains dating each other? Ooooo, who would've guessed?
> 
> Highlights of writing this chapter included the ever so entertaining Darkwing tantrums, the delightful Gosalyn Mallard, and absolute sass master version of Reginald Bushroot. Seriously, I had to channel how he behaved in the Christmas special to achieve that level of confidence. Quackerjack just gave him the push he needed, he always had the capability to do verbal smack downs. 
> 
> Coming up next! F.O.W.L. agents meet Fearsome...Two!


	6. Can I Get You a Drink?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steelbeak finds two super villains that have stumbled into his bar.

St. Canard was a great place to settle down and make a home, but there was definitely something about New Duck City that made you take a step on the wild side.

Of course there are dozens of F.O.W.L. HQs and rendezvous points around the world, but Steelbeak prided himself on running one of their more casual types of establishments. What started off as a hideout when the law was breathing down his neck turned into a pretty sweet place of revenue for the agent, having some of his less tactical stooges run the bar when Steelbeak was out being a super criminal. Who would’ve guessed a joint on the ground floor of an abandoned building would attract such a colorful array of thugs and crooks all wanting a night on the town without having to worry about people turnin’ them in? Well, really anyone in this city could fit that category.

The man in charge himself took in the scene before him. The place was dimly lit with smoke clouds from cigarettes hovering towards the ceiling, with every other table filled with shady individuals either chatting it up or drinking themselves stupid. Steelbeak stepped over a passed out customer as he walked towards the bar, calling the bartender over.

“Hey, gimmie an Alabama slammer, with one of those little orange wedges.” He ordered. Looked like Dave was on duty tonight. Good, Dave was better at mixing drinks than he was with handling explosives. Mighty impressive too, considering the guy was down three fingers. “And whatever tall, dark and grouchy behind me wants, put it on my tab.”

“Whatever who…?” Dave questioned, leaning to one side to look behind his tall boss. He jolted up right when two striking red eyes stared right back at him. “Domino! I, uh, I didn’t see you there! W-What can I get you?” 

“Just pass me a can of soda, I don’t need anything fancy.” Domino spoke in a smooth, low voice, with a tone that implied bodily harm would come swiftly if his orders weren’t met. The loon’s trademark guns caught the light for a moment, causing Dave to gulp.

“Yes, of course, one moment sirs!” he stammered, before ducking out of sight to get to work.

“C’mon DeeDee, lighten up.” Steelbeak rolled his eyes and leaned against the bar table. “This ain’t work or nothin’, you can swing something stronger than just a sodie pop can’t ya? It’s not like you’re buying.”

“When you asked me to tag along with you, I wasn’t expecting to be dragged out to a disgusting city just to visit a crummy bar.” Domino sat on a bar stool and span it around to look out at the room. A man near them belched loudly, much to his disgust. “’sides, I’m not one for alcohol.”

“Not one for fun either.” Steelbeak remarked. Dave rushed back, a drink and can in each hand, offering them to the respective individuals. Steelbeak took a sip of his before raising it to his partner. “Try to make the most out of this. There’s plenty of gals around here that would _love_ to meet a F.O.W.L. agent with your credibility. And I’m sure some of them can get past your killer eyes.”

“I’ll pass on the girls.” Domino opened his soda, the drink fizzing up a bit as he did. Before he could take a sip, the criminal caught the eye of an attractive man with tattoos sitting in a booth. Taking a moment to weigh his options, Domino smirked and hopped off his stool. “But I think I’ll have a go with the men. Hold my coat.”

Steelbeak couldn’t argue as Domino chucked his white and red coat at the rooster’s face, followed by his hat. By the time he could see again, Domino was already across the room sliding into the booth to talk with the stranger. With a noise of disgust, Steelbeak chucked the clothing over at Dave who scrambled to catch it.

“That guy’s more trouble than he’s worth, lemme tell ya.” Steelbeak started, taking another sip of his drink before turning to Dave. “I dunno what High Command was thinking assigning that nutcase with me. He’s been nothing but a pain.”

“I thought you two just had a really successful mission? Something in France, had to do with exposing a S.H.U.S.H. mole and blowing up one of their bases?” Steelbeak’s glare made Dave jump. “Or! At least that’s what the guys were telling me!”

“Oh sure, we _work_ fine, but the minute we clock out, it’s like nails down a chalkboard.” He rubbed one of his temples. “You know, you’d think having the honor of working alongside _me_ of all people would make the guy grateful, but getting Domino to open up and relax is like trying to force open a bear trap latched on your ankle.”

Dave chose not to comment on how Domino seemed to be plenty open talking to the tattooed man. The F.O.W.L. agents’ recent partnership was certainly a gossip point for plenty of the lower grunts. He might not have been a part of missions since the incident in Berlin, but even Dave knew that Domino threw a wrench in a lot of Steelbeak’s attempts to be chummy. The facts were right in front of him.

The facts, as well as two other individuals entering the bar that made Dave’s blood run cold.

“Um, Steelbeak sir…?” Dave sunk down behind the bar a bit in an attempt to hide. “What’s the policy on super villains in the bar?”

“There aren’t any super villains in New Duck. No one’s got the guts to try that sort of thing.” Steelbeak gave him a look. “Why you ask?”

“Cause it looks like two of them just walked in.”

 

* * *

 

The seedy establishment was pretty much what Liquidator expected, based off of what he was told in passing many months ago. Every step he took made him feel like he was cleaning the hard wood floors, and he knew if he was capable of smell he might’ve recoiled a bit from the smoke and bile. Megavolt wasn’t as lucky.

“Geez, who died and left the corpse to rot?” He grimaced, rubbing his nose. “And I thought St. Canard’s places were slimy.”

“Be that as it may, we came here for transport, not a good drink.” Liquidator remarked as he stepped over a drunkard on the floor. Or maybe that was what Megavolt smelt. Oh well, not his problem. “I don’t want to stay long in such a low class establishment much myself.”

“Ooo, look who’s got class!” Megavolt mocked as he tried stepping over the body. He tripped up at the last step and with a yelp, fell down to the ground hard, knocking into a patron holding beer in the process. The beer splashed out onto a woman across from him, resulting in her shriek of outrage.

Liquidator just decided to walk away from the impending bar brawl to get what they came for, mentally wishing his traveling companion luck as he did.

Ignoring the growing noise behind him, Liquidator approached the establishment’s bar. Unlike the rest of the place, the bar seemed to have higher care taken to maintaining an air of posh class to it. The wall behind it was stocked with an array of alcohols, many of which Liquidator would use to entice fellow businessmen to his partnerships in his past. Funny how he went from a man that would offer beverages to becoming a man made of nothing _but_ drink. Acknowledging the bartender, he took a seat at the bar, intending to try and spark a conversation with him to get the information he needed.

“You know, I’d ask if you want a drink,” A voice spoke to him from his right, having Liquidator look a few seats down the bar at a tall man in white. “But it looks like drinks are already on you.”

Liquidator inwardly groaned at the joke, forcing himself to laugh along with Steelbeak. “I get that sort of thing a lot. But that’s to be expected when one comes face to face with the Liquidator!”

“Oh, I’ve heard of ya, Bud Flood. F.O.W.L. knows _all_ about you and the little ragtag group of undesirables you call the Fearsome Five.” Steelbeak gestured to the shouting match behind them. “Your pal over there going to be alright?”

“He’s scrappy! He’s capable!” A zap of electricity shot out from the crowd, sending a thug flying in the air. Liquidator shook his head. “He’s nothing to worry about. I take it from your research and devotion to F.O.W.L. you’re the one they call Steelbeak?”

“The one and only.” He bowed a moment before finishing off his drink, exhaling afterwards. Liquidator was starting to notice how Steelbeak avoided making direct eye contact. “But I gotta tell ya, I can’t say I’m thrilled to see you lot out in these parts. Kind of a breach of territory if you ask me. Where’s the rest of your crew?”

“That’s the million dollar question isn’t it! My comrade and I got sent here after a run in with Darkwing Duck. We busted out of the joint a few hours ago and are lookin’ to get to home sweet home.”

“Oh yeah, I remember hearing something about that.” Steelbeak turned around in his seat to look out at the growing brawl, enjoying the show. “I think you two were supposed to be the prison’s prized prisoners. Something to strike fear into the populace, you know?” He laughed. “Guess they were all talk no plans, huh?”

“Something like that.” Liquidator turned as well, watching Megavolt zap anyone that attempted to get too close to him as he drank another person’s drink. It was clear he gained some dominance over the powerless goons, and the villain slid into a booth across from a nicely dressed loon with an irritated face and a large tattooed man laughing loudly. “…That fellow over there seemed to have had better dates.”

“What’s that?” Steelbeak followed Liquidator’s finger pointing to where he was looking. “Oh! Oh geez.” The rooster winced. “I think that guy went and touched Domino.”

“You mean he got a bit too chummy, or did he…?”

“Eh, let’s just say my partner isn’t very fond of being touched by _anyone_ without his say so. Friendly or otherwise.” Steelbeak rubbed the back of his neck as he watched Domino stand up from his seat and glare at the drunk next to him. “This could get ugly. No, it’s _definitely_ going to get ugly, just watch.”

Before he even needed to ask, Liquidator knew what he meant as he watched the loon grab the tattooed man’s arm and all but flipped him over his shoulder, sending the man crashing into the ground. Without giving a moment’s hesitation, Domino jumped on him and proceeded to punch his lights out repeatedly, getting cheers from the people around him. Breathing heavily, he stood up again, and grabbed the unconscious man’s ankle. With a yell, Domino flung the body with full force into the crowd, knocking over and breaking several tables as he did. Seemingly done with his work, he pulled out one of the two guns attached his belt.

“Let that be a warning to anyone else wanting to touch me tonight.” Several of the gatherers took a step back when the gun was aimed in their direction, except for Megavolt who seemed rather neutral with the whole thing. “I don’t want to waste one of my bullets on you low lives. Get out of my sight.” 

The crowd dispersed at that, a wave of excuses and apologies following them. Twirling his weapon for a moment, Domino looked over to the bar, Steelbeak giving him a wave. He growled and put his weapon back on his belt, before snatching his soda can from the table and gulping it down. Crumpling the empty can in his hand and tossing it to the floor, Domino took to the exit of the building without another word.

“Charming guy, he’s a good match for you.” Liquidator remarked, looking over to the rooster. Steelbeak had a calm expression and nodded, before he processed what he heard and instead shook his head.

“Oh. Oh no no _no_ , you’ve got it all wrong. I ain’t one of _those_ guys.” Steelbeak waved it off as he laughed. “Domino may be… _into_ that sort of thing, but I’m more a ladies man myself. Guys like us don’t need to deal with all of that kind of relationship nonsense, am I right?”

An immense discomfort washed over Liquidator at the comment. If it was true that Steelbeak was aware of his life as Bud Flood, then such accusations wouldn’t have been too farfetched. But Liquidator considered his mutation a second chance at life, and with that rebirth, it changed a lot of things about himself. Not holding back his criminal desires for fortune, permitting himself to let another person give him orders to pursue greater accomplishments, and realizing that women weren’t the only types of people he was attracted to were just a few of those changes.

“We need a ride to St. Canard, can you supply us with a vehicle?” Liquidator spoke quickly, very unlike his usual speech mannerisms. He didn’t want to end up saying, or rather screaming something he’d regret. He needed to get home after all.

“Sorry Bud, but I outta go follow Domino before he does something we both regret. And we don’t have room for a puddle and…whatever the other guy is.” Steelbeak gave Dave a nod before standing up. He patted Liquidator’s shoulder before wiping the water off on the bar countertop. “No hard feelings. Maybe you can catch a flood outta here.”

Liquidator scowled as he watched the rooster leave. A few of the liquids behind him shook in response to his emotions, spooking Dave in the process. The mutant sighed, calming the bottles and walked over to where Megavolt was sitting. It was a setback to say the least. He should’ve known better than to think guys like Steelbeak would help them.

“Please tell me you got a ride. This place is a dump and everyone’s a loser who can’t handle a few volts.” Megavolt pushed an empty glass off the table. It smashed on the ground as Liquidator slid into the booth to sit.

“Long and annoying story short; we aren’t very welcome to F.O.W.L.’s hospitality.” Liquidator rested his chin on his hand as he thought. “We might have to resort to hijacking a cab. Though that might raise some attention to us-”

“Well it’s a good thing I snagged the keys off of that pompous jerk when he passed me then.”

The water villain’s eyes widened and stared as Megavolt brandished a ring of car keys with a smug look on his face. “How did-“

“I heard some of the garbage he was spilling. Figured a jerk like that didn’t deserve his car.” The rodent pointed towards the door. “As long as we don’t run into that gun slinging partner of his, we’ll be on our way home in no time. Gotta say, I’m looking forward to it. He looked like a guy that would have a nice car and I can’t wait to meet the beaut.”

A few moments later, Domino busted the door down, angrily yelling to Steelbeak behind him. Something about leaving his coat behind and losing the keys, despite the rooster claiming he never even had them in the first place. Giving each other a look, Megavolt and Liquidator took the opportunity to sneak out unnoticed by the F.O.W.L. agents and ran to the parking lot outside. With a click of the key’s car alarm button, Megavolt was very pleased with his correct assumption towards the vehicle and the two climbed into the sports car with ease.

Later they could rummage around for a map to guide them home, but for now, Megavolt took to driving them out of there at high speeds, laughing loudly as he did. Liquidator couldn’t help but join him, happy to be one step closer to reuniting with his boyfriend in St. Canard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Liquidator isn't here for your internalized homophobia, Steelbeak. And neither is literally anyone else for that matter, c'mon, figure yourself out.
> 
> Also, give a round of applause to my DWD OC's intro to the writing world! Domino was an idea I had for a random F.O.W.L. agent that kind of grew from there. I figured I'd throw him into my fic cause, well, why not? He provides an interesting element to Steelbeak's charisma. Here's a link to Domino's design to those interested;  
> https://eleanorose123.tumblr.com/image/182127393947
> 
> Next up! Some interesting gossip in St Canard's prison halls, ooo!


	7. Sleepover Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quackerjack wakes Bushroot up to play a game and have a talk at the same time.

As the chaotic day ended, as most days tend to, moonlight shone over the city. It sparkled against the waters and the visible stars twinkled in the night sky. Several of the guards at the prison had already made their shift changes and had the luxury to enjoy the pleasant evening after dealing with the unstable inmates, and the not-much-better Darkwing Duck.

Still, the pleasant night meant nothing to the convicts locked up. Neither of them had the luxury of a window to offer them fresh air, or the sound of the waves crashing against the island. It was probably for the best; temptations of escaping would only amplify if they had the opportunity to see freedom just beyond the window’s bars.

“Pssst! Pssst! Hey, Bushie!”

Bushroot groaned at the noise, and rolled over on his cot. While he didn’t technically _need_ to sleep, it did help put him at ease, and it irritated him greatly to be woken up. Feeling paper airplanes knock into him repeatedly, he knew was fighting a losing battle to try and ignore the other’s call for attention. “What do want, Quackerjack? It’s late.”

“I know, isn’t it great?” Quackerjack laughed as he sat on his cell floor, making more airplanes out of a newspaper a guard left nearby.  Giving his latest creation a toss, it even did a loop as it flew into a guard’s hair, unbeknownst to them. “I always work best at night! Gives me great ideas.”

“Ideas?” Bushroot perked up at that, and slid down to sit on the floor, crawling over to his cell’s bars to talk quieter. “Did you get an idea for escape?”

“Mmm, I had a few…but Mr. Banana Brain had to remind me that I probably wouldn’t have access to chainsaws and lollipops for a while, so I had to scrap them.” The jester tugged at his hat in despair. “Which is _annoying_ , cause I wanna get outta here so _badly!_ ”

“I know what you mean, but we can’t be too hasty.” Bushroot held the bars tight. “If we screw up, they’ll just lock us up with more precautions. Like solitary confinement. Then we’ll both be stuck.”

“Well _you_ might be, I could probably escape on my own somehow.” Quackerjack pondered for a moment and shook his head. “But by that point I doubt I’d have the energy to think of anything. I work better with an audience, and you’re, well? You’re growing on me.” He giggled at his joke.

Bushroot couldn’t help but smile a bit at that. “Sappy. Why’d you wake me up anyway?”

“I told you, I can plan best at night and with an audience! I figured if we played together something might come up.” Quackerjack tossed an airplane over to his comrade’s cell. “Plus, it’d just be fun.”

Bushroot caught the plane and noticed a headline on it. Unfolding the page, he read it with disdain. “Fearsome Four no more!” it read, explaining their capture from the previous night. A part of him wanted to crumple it up, but stopped himself at the sight of a picture underneath. Someone from the press must’ve took a picture of them when they were dazed from Darkwing’s gas gun. A flicker of warmth washed over Bushroot at the sight of his dear partner…albeit in a jar. He missed having the real thing wrap his arms around him…

“Alright, I’ll play. Pass me some paper.”

“Goodie!” Clapping in joy, Quackerjack slid over half on the remaining newspaper pages. They fell a little short of their target, but Bushroot was able to extend his arms out enough to pull them over. “Hey, how come you can’t use those noodles to pick your locks anyhow?”

“You expect these things to act like a bobby pin?” The plant waved his leaf hands around. “You might as well just try folding paper into a key shape and work with that.”

“Oh believe me, that was my first plan.” Quackerjack pulled out a key shaped origami, dented and bent in the middle before tossing it over his shoulder.

“I’d ask where you even learned how to do paper folding, but I think I’m learning not to question everything about you. Fruitless endeavor in the long run.” Bushroot stared at his paper, trying to remember crafts from his youth. Having difficulty remembering paper airplanes, he took a more analytic approach and studied one of the planes Quackerjack sent over earlier to try and reverse the folding process to learn.

“You’re picking up fast, I’ve taught you well.” An idea popped up in Quackerjack’s mind that excited him. “Ooo, ooo! We should play the ‘Fact Trade’ game!”

Bushroot, having a hard time folding his paper paused and looked over confused. “The what game? I never heard of it.”

“Oh it’s a hoot, Megsy and I play it all the time!” Pulling down his cot’s practically flat pillow and giving it a squeeze, Quackerjack explained. “Basically, I ask you a question about yourself and after you answer it, you ask me a question, and we go back and forth, back and forth until we get bored. Or fall asleep. Or play a different game.”

“That sounds like a sleepover game.” Not that Bushroot was familiar with such activities. He never got invited to sleepovers in his youth. Still, if this could entertain his companion long enough, maybe one of them could get a plan in order by morning. “Alright I’ll play. So, do you ask the first-?“

“What’s your _least_ favorite nickname?” Quackerjack giggled as the plant gave him an unamused look, clearly already regretting the game. “C’mon, Likky hates being called Buddy, Megavolt despises Sparky for some reason, what’s your deal?”

“…Reggie the Veggie…” Bushroot muttered, a sour look on his face when he said it. “Some jerks at the lab called me that when I mutated. Now whenever I hear it I get sent back to that moment and it _stinks_. So, if you value your life, you better not use that against me, okay!”

 “Sleepover secrecy, Bushie.” He pulled an invisible zipper across his grin to emphasize the point. “Still, that’s a ridiculously simple pun. You know Darkwing Doofus would probably say it one day.”

“I know, and I’ll be ready to tear him apart when he does.”

“Also I wouldn’t put it past Negaduck’s repertoire of insults either.”

“Ah…” Bushroot’s anger shifted to fear just by switching color palettes of the masked duck image in his head. “…yeah I think I’d just go scream into a pillow or something if that happened.”

“Yes, I’m sure Likky wouldn’t want a tossed salad for a boyfriend if that were to happen.” Quackerjack snickered at the idea, pulling up a newspaper page to work with. He was getting bored with planes, so he shifted to making fortune tellers. “Well? It’s your turn to ask a question.”

“Oh right.” Bushroot thought for a moment. Suddenly all the hundreds of questions he’d wanted to ask Quackerjack in the years they’ve worked together escaped his mind, but one came up at the sound of ringing bells. “Uh, why a clown costume?”

“First of all, I’m a _jester_ , not a clown. They’re fun guys, but I think I look _way_ better.” He played with the bells at the end of his hat as he spoke. “Second, why not? It’s comfy and fun. Beats wearing a suit to work that’s for sure.”

“Gotta admit, I can’t picture you in business wear.”

“It’s _boring._ ” Quackerjack whined, before shaking his head and shuddering at the thought. “Kinda like your question, geez. You can do better than that can’t you?”

“I’m new to this ‘opening up’ stuff, sue me.” Bushroot stared at the mess of a paper airplane he made. He gave it a test flight only to have it immediately nose dive. Grabbing it, he tried to refold the craft. “It’s your turn right? Try me.”

“Alrighty then, someone’s feeling brave.” Pulling up his finished fortune cookie, he opened and closed the toy with every word he spoke. “Are you gay?”

The paper in Bushroot’s hands tore in half in response, the question taking the mutant completely off guard. With a blush coated his face he looked a bit frightened. “Really? We’re _really_ going there?”

“Why not? I already know you’re dating a guy. I’m just curious is all.” Tossing his pillow against the wall, Quackerjack leaned back to lie down as he worked on another fortune teller. “Are you one of those guys that pursued women as a way to drown out queer desires, or are you actually bi? This is a safe space, Reginald.”

“This is a prison.”

“A safe space prison.”

“Geez…” Bushroot stared down at the floor rubbing at his arms. “I never thought about it too much really. I was pretty sure I was straight most of my life, but with everything that happened that made me…” He gestured to himself. “All of this…I think I changed. In a good way. Falling for Liquidator just kind of made me realize there was more to be attracted to than just a body…so I don’t really know where that puts me. I guess I must be bi then, I don’t know.”

“No need to rush, learn at your own time!” A high pitched voice called out. Looking over Bushroot noticed Mr. Banana Brain peeking out and dancing around beside Quackerjack. “’sides, this guy’s also bi!”

“Hey!” Quackerjack grabbed the doll and shook him. “Jerk! Don’t go around outing people!” He chucked the doll across the cell, causing it to squeak upon impact and fall to the ground. He gave a shrug. “Eh. He is right though.”

Bushroot gave a smile at that, inwardly glad he had a chance to talk to someone about these sorts of things, even though the conversation in general made him a bit flustered. He knew Liquidator went through a similar sort of realization in the past, but now Bushroot figured it ought to be a discussion they shared more between themselves in the future. When they got through this mess of separation and imprisonment.

He found himself looking at the newspaper article again, his hand running over the image. They all looked awful, himself included, cradling that jar like a child would with a doll. You could hardly even imagine the man across the hall from him, kicking his feet up in the air as he played with a blank fortune teller, was the same person slumped up against Megavolt in the photo. Huh…did he notice they were holding hands before, or was he too zoned out to process it? Realizing it was his turn to ask something, Bushroot got an idea.

“Are you and Megavolt dating?” A small noise escaped the jester as he froze from his movements, and Bushroot inwardly praised himself for finally pulling a fast one. “Come on, you can’t dump all the relationship questions on me and not expect me to retaliate.”

“…we’ve been together for a year now, but thanks for noticing.” Quackerjack smirked at Bushroot’s surprise, clearly not expecting that. “It’s not like we hid it much; Megsy and I just don’t do PDA. Mushy stuff is for playdates after all, we’ve got plenty of other things to worry about. Like destroying Whiffle Boy and saving his precious lightbulbs.”

“You two were-! You actually-! A _year?_ ” Bushroot gaped. “How did that even _happen?”_

“Ah ah! That’s a different question, you gotta wait for your next turn!”

“No way, I uh,” He thought for a moment trying to find a way to phrase it to appeal to his game loving ally. “I’m using my next turn early, you can have two questions next! Please, I gotta know!”

“ _Sorry_ , no cutsies! Wait your turn!” Quackerjack waggled a finger in disapproval. “Why’s something like that matter to you anyway?” 

“I don’t know…I thought Liquidator and I were alone in being a villain couple. Hearing that you and Megavolt have been dating for so long…I guess I just wanted to know more about that.” Sighing, Bushroot pushed the paper in front of him around, feeling a little silly with himself. This game was really getting to him…which made him realize something. “Ah! You asked me a question and I answered! It’s my turn again!”

“What!” Quackerjack gawked, and quickly turned to face Bushroot from his side of the hallway. “No fair, that’s dirty!”

“That’s the game, right?” Bushroot smirked. “Now spill; how’d you start dating Megavolt?”

Pulling at his hat in frustration, Quackerjack bit back to urge to yell since it’d just attract the guards’ attention. Instead, he chose to fall backwards to lie on the ground again, his limbs spread out and resting on the piles of paper crafts. His hand landed on the discarded doll which he grabbed and pulled to his chest.

“Fine. In the name of “Facts Trade”, I’ll tell you a bed time story.” Clearing his throat, Quackerjack sat himself upright. “Once upon a time…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming up next; how two Bisexual disasters ended up dating each other!
> 
> Also just throwing it out there, but Bushroot (as well as Liquidator) eventually end up being comfortable with the Pansexual label in relation to their identities [blows a kiss] That's some growth right there.


	8. Forgot I Kissed You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quackerjack tells the story of how he ended up dating his electrifying partner.

The air was filled with panicked screams as citizens ran from oversized toy teeth chasing them. Their creator cheered at the mayhem, pleased the distraction was working. Any moment, that heroic dunderhead would show up to put a stop to Quackerjack’s playtime, but by then Megavolt will have finished stealing all the batteries in the department store behind him.

They made such a fun team.

“Heehee, oh, you better get a move on, Sparky!” Quackerjack spoke into a rubber duckie walkie talkie, eyeing a familiar purple cape in the distance smashing up his toy teeth. “Looks like we’ve got company!”

“Don’t call me that!” An irritated voice crackled back through the device. “And stall him! I’ve got another two aisles left to raid! Use the marbles I modified for you or something!”

“I’m not hearing a _please._ ”  He sung, pulling out the bag of said marbles from his pocket and tossing it up and down in his hand.

“Oh, right.” Megavolt spoke like he was a child being scolded. “Please stall Darkwing for me.”

“You’re lucky you’re funny.” Quackerjack teased before putting away the walkie talkie in his pocket.

“I am the terror that flaps in the night!” A voice echoed in the streets, causing the jester to roll his eyes and chuck the marbles’ bag into the smoke. “I am the stain on the carpet you can’t quite remove! I am- gah!”

Darkwing scrambled to stay upright as he stepped on the sea of marbles. The moment he got off of one, he found himself standing on another. It was like trying to walk through his daughter’s room.

“So glad you stopped by, Darkwing!” Quackerjack giggled and stood just outside of the marbles’ range. “Enjoying yourself?”

“Not! Particularly!” He stammered, his feet dancing around much to the villain’s amusement. “Marbles are so outdated anyway! You gotta get with the times, you troublesome, terror of a toymaker!”

“Oh, I don’t know, I think you’ll find these toys to be quite _shocking!_ ” Bringing out a control switch, Quackerjack pushed the red button on it. “Boop!”

The colorful orbs began to light up under Darkwing and began sparking under the friction of his feet. By the time he realized what was happening, the hero found himself be electrocuted from the feet up. When the marbles’ power began to fade, Darkwing was in a daze.

“I take it…you’ve been hangin’ around Megavolt again…” He slurred as he barely was able to stand up. Quackerjack walked towards him and was able to push Darkwing over with a single finger, causing his foe to crash to the ground unconscious.

“My, aren’t we bright?” He mocked.

Deciding he didn’t want to stick around for Darkwing’s sidekick to show up, or for the masked dork to wake up, Quackerjack backflipped over to the department store, entering through the broken door the duo busted down earlier. The night was setting up to be quite a fun playtime indeed. Once they got the batteries they needed, they could return to Quackerjack’s workshop and get to work on his new line of electric powered toy soldiers. 

He couldn’t help but smile when he thought of how excited Megavolt was when he was explaining the plan. Quackerjack couldn’t understand all the things his friend was going on about, but it was clear he wanted the soldiers for a city wide take over for electrical revolution. Whatever happened, at least it’d be fun working together.

“You think Megs is done by now?” Quackerjack spoke to his reliable doll, placing it on his shoulder as he headed to the elevator. Megavolt was supposed to be up on the fifth floor of the building.

“That depends,” the doll replied. “Did he even remember what we came for?”

“Mr. Banana Brain! Don’t be rude!” He shot the banana in question a look. “Megavolt knows the plan. Sure he has a tenancy to lose track of thoughts, but hey! I’m not one to talk either!” Getting into the elevator, he pushed the fifth floor’s button with a laugh. “You gotta learn to play nice.”

“I’m not the one crushin’ hard, Bard.” Quackerjack’s cheeks flushed red at that. Quickly grabbing his doll, he covered its mouth as if to silence it.

“I’ll told you that’s a secret! Don’t go blabbing, or I’ll get really mad with you.” Making a face at Mr. Banana Brain, Quackerjack exited the elevator, reaching his destination. “’sides it’s not that big of a deal anyway.”

Suddenly he spotted a flash of light from the corner of his eye. Looking over to that direction, Quackerjack noticed rows of shelves knocked over like dominoes, a few of them charred from what he could no doubt assume to be shock impacts. Hearing a loud noise, he took to following it.

“Stupid cameras!” Megavolt called out, before sending a zap to the corner of the room. “Spyin’ on me without my permission! Which one of you is laughing at me, show yourself!” Thinking he heard the culprit, he quickly turned and sent a zap in that direction. “Take that, fiend!”

“Woah!” Quackerjack jumped to the side to avoid getting shocked. The cardboard cut-out of an advertisement behind him wasn’t as lucky, and quickly turned to a pile of soot on the floor. “Hey! Watch it, sharp shooter! You almost fried me!”

“Don’t sneak up on me then!” Megavolt groaned and ran a hand down his face. “I’m trying to find something, don’t distract me.”

“It better be those batteries you were supposed to be getting.” Quackerjack moved over close enough to poke his ally’s nose. “I don’t have to remind you there’s a Darkwing Duck hot on our trail, we gotta get a move on, silly!”

“I already got the goods, don’t get your hat in a twist.” Grabbing a closed bag off of the floor, Megavolt tossed it to Quackerjack who caught it. “I just got some unfinished business to take care of here. See that screen?”

Quackerjack followed the pointing finger to one of the dozen TV screens through the glass display in front of them. It seemed to be a security camera that showed the villainous duo at a funny angle. “Uh huh?”

“Some funny guy’s been staring at me and I can’t figure out who’s doing it!” Megavolt made a noise of frustration, electricity building up around his fists. “They’re mocking me and I’m not leaving ‘till I put them in their place.”

“Ooo, hide and seek, I love that game!” Quackerjack bounced in delight at the prospect. Surely they could afford enough time to play for a little while; the night was still young. “Tell you what, I’ll help you look and you can get your revenge on that peepin’ tom. Then we can get on with our plans, deal?”

Anger fading a bit, Megavolt smiled to his comrade. “Deal. And thanks.”

Quackerjack was thankful Megavolt turned to look in the other direction and didn’t see his cheeks blushing again. _Damn_ , that smile got to him. Looking around the room himself, Quackerjack caught eye of a discarded teddy bear on the floor.

“Aw, looks like someone’s lost!” He held up the pink plush bear, looking it over. “Believe me, I’ve raided this place long enough to know the toy aisle’s on the third floor. Oh well! Guess you’re mine now.” Giving it a squeeze, he felt the telltale lump of mechanics inside the toy. Well _that_ was interesting. “Hey, what’s your deal-“

“Agh, it moved again!” The rodent yelled, pointing at the TV screen again. “Quackerjack, it’s staring right at you, where is it!”

Looking over at his frazzled friend, Quackerjack saw the screen was showing the back of his head. Doing a double take to the bear in his hands, he tested a theory and turned the teddy towards Megavolt. “Is it looking at you now?”

“Yes! _Where_ is that coming from?” Megavolt panicked and ducked behind a shelf, not putting two and two together yet. Quackerjack couldn’t help but laugh and went to follow him, bear in hand.

“I think it found you again!” He teased, pointing at the screen showing the electrical villain. Megavolt practically screamed and hid under a nearby tarp.

“Will my suffering ever end?” Megavolt whined as the other laughed.

“Ah, it’s fine. It’s game over anyway.” Twisting off the head of the teddy bear, Quackerjack pulled out the nanny cam inside it. It was disappointing that the mechanism wasn’t anything fun like his own creations, but at least he found the cursed camera. “One nasty spy cam for my nasty buddy!”

Peeking out from under the tarp, Megavolt’s face lit up at the sight of the device. “You found it!” Snatching the camera, he cackled. “Thought you could go around my back and spy on me huh? Well, joke’s on you buster!”

Tossing the teddy bear remains, Quackerjack watched as the little camera was shocked to a crisp nonchalantly. Hey, even he knew not _all_ electronics were meant to be saved. With a laugh, he offered a hand which Megavolt took and stood up with. “Feeling better now?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Megavolt leaned in and kissed the jester quick before grabbing the battery bag and carrying it over his shoulder. He tugged at Quackerjack’s hand.  “Come on. Let’s get out of here before Dipwing gets us.” 

Quackerjack said nothing as he was led to the rooftop for their escape. Fact, he was abnormally quiet with a stunned look on his face as they walked up the stairs. Every now and then he squeezed at the hand he was holding to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

Megavolt kissed him. He actually _kissed_ him and the action sent the villain into a spiral of thoughts and confusion.

“Hold on,” Quackerjack called by the time they reached the roof of the building, getting his partner’s attention. “What was that?”

“…what was what?” Megavolt raised an eyebrow.

“ _That_ , back there, downstairs!” The toymaker pulled back his hand from the other’s grasp and held it to his chest, eyes staring down to the concrete floor. “You…you kissed me.”

“Yeah, so? I’ve kissed you before, haven’t I?” When he got a very confused look as an answer, Megavolt’s eyes widened and his face went red. “Wait…Wait, I _haven’t_ done that before, have I?”

Quackerjack gave a weak laugh and shook his head. “Trust me, out of the two of us, I would be the one to remember.”

“I’m sorry!” Megavolt slammed a hand over his mouth, muffling his words a bit. “I messed up! I remembered things wrong, I-! Just! Forget I did that!”

“Uh, a little late for that.” Quackerjack rubbed the back of his head, not really sure what to do at this point. He definitely didn’t expect their night to turn in this direction. He watched as Megavolt crouched down, trying to hide by curling into a ball.

“Stupid, stupid head! Mixing up memories with dreams, ugh!” He started rubbing at his blush coated cheeks as he yelled at himself. “Now you went and screwed up everything, way to go!”

“…you dreamed you kissed me before?” Quackerjack knelt down to be eye level with the other. “That’s funny.”

“No it’s not, it’s embarrassing!” Megavolt looked up from behind his knees before freezing. His eyes darted to the side to avoid eye contact. “It’s weird right? You think I’m weird now.”

“Oh Megsy,” He smiled. “I thought you were weird for a _long_ time, why else are you my best friend?”

Megavolt managed to make eye contact again. “…I thought Mr. Banana Brain was your best friend.”

“I can have more than one.” Quackerjack shrugged. “Besides…I never said I _hated_ it.”

“I _kissed_ you, Quacky. We’re super villains, we strike fear into our enemies and I kissed you, just cause I’ve been into you for months and-” Eyes widening at what he said, Megavolt slapped himself. “Agh! I gotta stop talking!”

Raising his hand to smack himself again, Megavolt’s wrist got caught by his friend. Quackerjack stared at him for a moment, the rodent telling him to let go, before leaning forward and shutting him up with another kiss. It lasted a bit longer than the first one they had, and he couldn’t help smiling into it.

Pulling back, Quackerjack bit back a laugh from how dazed his partner looked afterwards. It was cute, and the way a little spark of electricity danced on the other’s whiskers made him want to kiss him again and again.

“Let’s just agree we’re both weird and work from there, deal?”

Megavolt nodded with a smile, and pulled the jester in for a hug, nuzzling his cheek. “Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you Quackervolt fans reading this fic got a kick out of this update, cause I sure as heck got a kick out of writing it. I ultimately wanted this pairing's origins to be very natural in contrast to their eccentric and spontaneous personalities. One of those, "I didn't realize we were dating until I noticed we've been holding hands for the past half hour" situations, except with a bit of a push to get it started. 
> 
> And yes, their dates are very much like their antics in "Stressed to Kill". That's just the facts.


	9. Lost Opportunity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quackerjack finishes telling his story, much to Bushroot's teasing.

“…after that, we got back to our previously scheduled plans. We got distracted a few times, so the whole solider idea got pushed back by another night. By the time we finished, that blasted Darkwing showed up before I could even get them out on the streets!” Quackerjack huffed. He remembered being so looking forward to that. “But very long story short, that’s how I got dear, sweet, out of his mind Megavolt to be my boyfriend.”

Bushroot squeezed his pillow, a large grin on his face. “Awww.”

“Oh, put a daisy in it, lover boy.” He chucked an origami dragon over to little avail as it floated down to the ground. Quackerjack wished he had better material to work with. Plus, he was starting to run out of paper.

“Not my fault, you’re the one with the mushy love story.” Bushroot was thankful there were bars separating them, because the look Quackerjack shot him with would’ve had the plant running for the hills under normal circumstances. “I never would’ve guessed you two were so close.”

“At least we’re not an absolute cliché of a relationship like you and hydro-mutt!” Quackerjack laughed and leaned back from his spot on the floor. “I mean, you’re a _plant!_ Of _course_ you’d be drawn to water of all things.”

“Believe me; we’re aware of the irony.” The mutant rolled his eyes. “You’re not much better though!”

“As if. He may have a shocking body, in more ways than one,” He added with a snicker. “But the two of us are practically average. Our DNAs aren’t drawn together by nature’s instinct.”

“Maybe not, but it’s like your story…some toys need batteries.” The jester made a noise at that, his cheeks lighting up. “…did you seriously not pick up on that until now?”

“Shut up! Shut up, shut up, _shut up-!_ ”

“Why don’t you take your own advice and _shut your mouth_ , both of you!” A guard yelled and whacked their cell bars. Clearly their window of opportunity to talk had left them. “This is _prison_ , not a slumber party! If I hear another word, its solitary confinement, _clear?_ ”

“…are we allowed to agree or would that count as a word?” Quackerjack giggled at the glare he received before zipping his mouth up with a nod. The guard rolled his eyes and returned to his spot down the hallway. It was clear by the looks they exchanged their playtime had reached its end.

Bushroot collapsed on the stiff cot he was sitting on, and turned over to face the wall. He got carried away…they should’ve spent more time strategizing but he turned their talk into a gab session. He held his pillow a bit tighter, knowing he shouldn’t have acted like a child…but there was a part of him that was at peace with everything.

After all, now he knew he and Liquidator weren’t the only villains around with a soft spot for each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was much shorter due to the follow up of the flashback. The guards have had enough of the sleep over talk lol but hey! They both learned something new.
> 
> Now, what's become of the carjacking duo...?


	10. Walk With Me, Talk With Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faced with awkward silence, Megavolt sparks up a game of "Facts Trade" with Liquidator, with interesting results.

“I can’t believe that slime ball didn’t bother to refill his gas tanks!”

Megavolt walked in circles in the empty field they were stranded at, a charge building up around him. As he stomped around, kicking a few rocks as he went, Liquidator was busy searching the car for an alternative source of fuel. The canine hung over the side of vehicle in defeat.

“You know, nine out of ten experts would recommend checking the gas _before_ driving into an empty wasteland.” He scoffed, checking the map as if doing so would change their situation. “We probably would’ve made it if you hadn’t ignored my instructions.”

“You were too slow saying them!” Megavolt yelled, kicking a rock hard enough that it left a dent on the car door. He winced, feeling a strong shift in pressure that left him with a headache. Glancing upwards, he stared at the darkened clouds. “Storm’s moving.”

“Then perhaps it’s best we stop complaining about what can’t be changed, and get a move on with our very own two feet!” Folding up the plastic map, Liquidator jumped out of the sports car and started walking down the asphalt road that seemed to go on a straight line forever. “Act now and St. Canard will be in our sights within a few hours.”

“ _Hours?_ ” Megavolt groaned, really tired of everything all at once. His battery was low enough as it is, but it’d almost been twenty four hours since he last physically slept too. “Aw man, this bites.”

“Accepting your situation and dealing with it is an action free of charge!” Liquidator piped up, not even needing to look behind him to know the kind of face Megavolt was making. “I’m not sticking around to mope all night, I actually have places to be.”

“Yeah yeah, Mr. Bright and Optimistic, I’m coming.”

Stretching for a moment, Megavolt caught up to Liquidator and the two went further and further away from where they started. They followed the roads and street lights, hoping some form of vehicle would pass them soon so they could hijack it. Sadly, it seemed like it was just them and the increasing wind of a brewing storm in the barren land.

Teeth chattering, Megavolt rubbed at his cold arms. The late night chill was starting to get to him. Looking over, he could tell that even Liquidator’s walking was slower that it had been earlier. He supposed even subtle temperature changes would affect the mutant. In fact, climates in general would probably affect Liquidator depending on his situation. As more and more questions and ideas popped up in his head, Megavolt came to a conclusion.

“You want to play a game?” He asked. Liquidator raised an eyebrow. “It beats just walking in silence.”

“I’m not against being alone with my thoughts.” The watery canine brought a finger to his head. “Fact, the Liquidator comes up with his best plans alone in silence!”

“Yeah, well the Megavolt gets bored walking forever.” He rolled his eyes. “C’mon it’s easy. We just ask each other random questions for no reason. You can even have first pick.”

“That barely seems to even qualify as a game.” Liquidator shook his head and laughed at the ludicrousy of it. “Who even came up with a silly thing like that?”

“Quackerjack. We play it when we’re working on projects together. He said I’m a fun partner cause sometimes I forget questions I’ve already asked and he’d get to tell the same stories over and over again.” Megavolt glanced over and smirked. “My turn.”

“Hey! That wasn’t-!” Liquidator stopped walking for a moment. “I wasn’t playing yet! That was a false start!”

“Too bad. Wait your turn and keep walking.” Grumbling, the other complied. Megavolt tapped at his chin in thought of his question, some of his earlier thoughts coming back to him. “So if you drank something, would you end up becoming that liquid? Or would you ultimately just water it down to nothing?”

“Can’t say I’ve willingly partook in any drinks since I became what you see before you.” He decided not to mention all the many times liquids have been tossed into him by accident or by Darkwing trying to stop him. “Not much point with no taste buds. But I’d assume whatever gets added will ultimately just get subtracted one way or another. It’s not difficult to remove the stuff that isn’t pure water from my body.”

“Does any water go for that sort of thing? Do you have standards for what you classify as _pure_ water? Do you-“

“Ah ah ah, if I recall correctly, I answered my question and now it’s my turn.” Liquidator wagged a finger smugly. “Wait your turn.”

“Oh, you’re just as bad as Quacky!” Megavolt crossed his arms in a huff, roughly recalling incidents where he’d go on a question spree and get cut off by the toymaker. By the time it was his turn again, he’d long forgotten the questions he wanted to ask. “Fine! Ask away.”

“Ah, now the spotlight’s on the Liquidator!” He announced loudly, inciting a groan from his travelling companion. The water villain took a moment to think; he wasn’t really one to question much of his work associates. It had little benefit considering how unpredictable super villains could be. After all, in his group of five alone they all had a strong range of powers, personalities and persuasion methods. It was best not to think so much about it, so he went with a basic question instead. “If you had to have one final meal, what would it be?”

“That’s it? Really?” Taking a few steps ahead, Megavolt turned to look at the other while walking backwards. “You could ask _anything_ you want and you wanna know my dinner plans? I’ve already had the whole last meal schtick twice when I got sent to the electric chair!”

“And? What did you have then?”

“I can’t remember. Probably toast or something.” Deciding not to even bother trying to remember something so uninteresting, Megavolt turned around to stare into the darkness ahead. Flickers of light seemed to appear in the clouds ahead. “Geez, I hope lightning would strike me. I could use the boost.”

“Down on your luck? Need a jolt to your system? The allow lightning to be your solution!” Liquidator’s ear perked up for a moment at a distant sound. “Comes with a package deal of thunder and rainstorms.”

“Ooo, why does rain have to be an attachment?” Suddenly Megavolt wished he’d look in the car for something to cover him up from the impending shower. Looking over his shoulder, that option was too far away to try now. “Is it my turn or yours?”

“The stage is yours to ask yours truly a question of your pleasing.” He spoke in a somewhat irritated tone now. “Hurry now, because it’s a limited time offer to keep playing this silly game.”

“Alright, I get it! Don’t rush me.” Megavolt huffed in annoyance. “How does Bushroot even put up with you?”

“Excuse me? You want to elaborate on your question there, mister?”

“How does a nerdy, dorky coward like him manage to hang around a guy who probably would’ve shoved him in a locker in high school?” He shot a look behind him. “You seem like the type-“

He was caught off guard by a fist of water grabbing the front of his jumpsuit. Megavolt got swung around, face to face with a very clearly angry Liquidator. A part of him wanted to shove himself off from the grip, but another part wanted to delay interaction with water as long as possible.

“Listen up, you nosy whiner,” he growled. Liquidator’s other fist shifted into the shape of a blade. “I could leave you here a short circuited mess and not think twice about it. So, unless you want that, I strongly suggest you lay off and not talk about Reggie like that, got it?”

“…Reggie, huh? I knew you were close but…” Megavolt laughed despite his situation, Liquidator’s grasp weakening as he did. “Oh, water really _is_ attracted to plants, isn’t it?”

“No! I mean, it’s not what you’re thinking, I’m-! That is to say we’re just-!” Liquidator all but dropped Megavolt to the ground, fumbling around with his words. “Don’t jump to conclusions!”

“Relax, Likky. I’m in the same boat as you.” Getting up off the ground, Megavolt brushed himself and kept walking, the other following a few steps behind. “I know what it’s like dating a teammate under Negaduck’s nose...or beak I guess.”

Liquidator’s eyes widened at that comment. He always just figured that much like how their mutations outcasted them from society norms, his relationship with Bushroot was also an anomaly in the villain community. Admittedly a strong wave of curiosity washed over the canine at the news.

“You and Quackerjack have been…?”

“Yup. I think it’s been something like a year now, I don’t know.” Megavolt scratched his head in thought. The rooftop confession itself was a clear memory for him, but the details surrounding it were staticy. “We’ve had our fights but it’s worked out pretty well. At least for me. Don’t know what it’s like on your end though. Heck, can’t say I ever really noticed you two much either.”

“It’s only been a few months, we’re still figuring it out as we go.” He admitted. While Bud Flood had plenty of relationships in his past, most of which ended quite poorly, none of them were even close to the type of thing he had with Bushroot. The fact he was a guy was _nothing_ compared to everything else they had to learn about themselves and each other. “Let’s just say there’s a lot. I kinda sprung the idea on him.”

“That sounds like a story that could kill some time.” Glancing up at the clouds and hearing the thunder again, Megavolt winced. He turned and gestured to the sky. “Think we’ll make it to St. Canard in time?”

“We’ve only been walking for ten minutes, so I doubt it.” Feeling sympathetic, Liquidator lightly patted the other’s shoulder. “But if a tale of romance will take your mind off of things, then allow me to set the scene!”

“Oh gross, I’m regretting this decision already…”

“Too late! You asked for it! It was a summer night…”

Megavolt’s groan echoed across the plains.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming up next: how a certain plant mutant won the heart of a water mutant. Aw. How sweet.
> 
> You can practically feel the excitement radiating from Megavolt at the prospect of hearing a sappy love story from Liquidator's point of view of all things.


	11. Plants and Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liquidator shares his story of how one assignment from Negaduck landed him with Bushroot as a boyfriend.

It was a pleasant summer evening, and that fact seemed to infuriate Negaduck more than usual.

Liquidator could only assume so anyway, with the way the violent mallard jumped around shouting obscurities as he tried to swat at every mosquito that came his way. The rest of the Fearsome Five watched hesitantly, moving around every now and then to avoid getting in the way. The action proved difficult as the group was hiding in an alleyway at the time, no current hideout being present for them to be meeting in.

“…and I hope every single one of them gets their face shoved into a bucket of nails!” Negaduck’s angry rant concluded. It was hard to remember what _exactly_ set him off in the first place since he’d been at it for a good half hour. Breathing hard, the criminal leader growled. “So anyway, you numbskulls get any bright ideas to where we can stash our stuff? Well? Speak up!”

“I checked the warehouses, but they were all active.” Megavolt remarked, sitting on the ground and fiddling with a broken alarm clock he found. “Lotta people checking in on their stuff; the security got ramped up around there.”

“And I tried the factories, but all of them were being used to make such _boring_ products!” Quackerjack kicked his legs from atop the trash bin he was sitting on. “Who even needs paperclips and staples anyway?”

“Typical!” Negaduck spat, kicking the trash bin over, resulting in Quackerjack falling into a heap of garbage. “You’re all _useless!_ Do I have to do _everything_ myself!”

A mumbled chorus of apologies answered him.

Liquidator leaned against a wall in thought. He didn’t fare much better with his scouting for a hideout for the five, but he knew if stated such facts out loud he’d been in for it. Looking over, he noticed that Bushroot was trying to hide himself behind some boxes, clearly in the same situation and trying to avoid Negaduck’s gaze. Feeling sympathetic pity, the water villain thought something up quick to lend a hand.

“If St. Canard’s warehouses and factories are occupied, try their various apartment complexes!” Sliding around to face the seething Negaduck, Liquidator continued. “Studies indicate there are a number of abandoned lots for vacancy in the shady areas of down town!”

Negaduck growled for a moment before thinking it over. He walked around while he did so, stomping on Megavolt’s foot in the process. “Apartments huh…? You sure about that, wet noodle?”

“100% Liquidator guarantee!” He lied full heartedly. The idea wasn’t _too_ farfetched, but the canine also hadn’t been down to visit that side of town for quite some time. Still, an idea was better than nothing, right?

“Hmm…is that so?” If looks could kill, Liquidator was certain he’d be nothing but evaporated air by that point. “Well, I’ll hold you to that. It’s better than the rest of these idiots, that’s for sure. And don’t think I can’t see your skinny hide back there, Bushie!”

Grabbing his ankle, Negaduck yanked up the plant and dangled him upside down. The height difference left Bushroot’s head at a funny angle on the ground, much to his suffering. His face was scrunched up in worry of what would happen to him.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t find anything either!” Bushroot shook as he spoke quickly. “I couldn’t sneak around that much cause of the crowds hanging around town for that exhibit at the museum, and there was a kid that kept pulling my trench coat and-“

“Hold your horseflies!” Negaduck yelled out and dropped Bushroot to the ground in a heap. Leaning over, he put a foot on the plant’s torso and pushed down. “What’s the museum exhibiting this time? Is it valuable?”

“I-it’s some sort of coin collection!” If he still used lungs to breathe with, Bushroot certainly would’ve been gasping for air. It was still unpleasant being crushed, mind you. “I didn’t catch what era- ancient Greece I think!”

Negaduck paused from his crushing and turned to rest of the team. “Any of you knobs know if that’s worth much?”

“I’m not an expert with coin collections,” Liquidator perked up.  “But when the chips are down, I’d say money’s money, no matter the time period!”

“And if that fails you can always just use the junk for ransom on some history nerds!” Negaduck laughed and jumped off of Bushroot, much to his relief. The mutant propped himself against a wall to try and compose himself after all that. “Brilliant! Finally, something to _do!_ ”

“Yeah, robbing a museum sounds _way_ more fun than hideout hunting anyway!” Quackerjack bounced up, a banana peel flying off his shoulder as he did. The discarded fruit landed on Megavolt, much to the rodent’s annoyance. As Quackerjack laughed at the sight, he got kicked in the side by his boss.

“Idiot! Why would I let you knobs have fun when you’ve been nothing but _failures!_ ” Negaduck groaned at a realization and pulled at his face. “Grah, and I can’t let you half brains pick out our hideout either! You’ll just screw it up! But we can’t heist without a hideout to retreat too- _agh!_ I hate this!”

Trying to disguise his boredom with watching their leader stomp around in frustration _again_ , Liquidator looked over to his leafy comrade against the wall. It looked like when Negaduck had him crushed on the ground, he was lying on top of some broken glass, resulting in a few nasty cuts on Bushroot’s side. Liquidator winced as he watched the small bits of glass be removed, a green ooze following with. The poor guy’s face clenched in pain as he worked, but by the time the last bit was removed, it looked like the cuts healed themselves. Well, that was good at least.

“I got it!” Negaduck’s declaration startled Liquidator from his observing, a part of him confused why he had a desire to look at Bushroot in the first place. He must’ve been going soft. “While I’m not happy about it, I’m going to have to pass on the coin snatching for tonight. A hideout is way higher on the priority scale.”

“Anywhere that isn’t garbage!” Megavolt stood up off the ground and flicked off the peel on his head. “The last place we got had a funny smell to it, I couldn’t focus.”

“You couldn’t focus on anything, ever.” Negaduck remarked, snatching the busted clock from Megavolt’s hands and tossing it into the streets. The electrical villain sulked a bit as it got run over in an instant by a passing car. “But you and Jack-in-a-box over here are coming with me to pick one the places Liquidator was on about! I’m not about to let you two numbskulls blow it again. Liquidator can go ahead with the museum heist and get the coins while we get the base.”

Megavolt and Quackerjack groaned at the prospect of having to endure Negaduck’s decision making. For an evil overlord, he was _really_ picky with his living arrangements. When he gestured for the group to get on the move, Bushroot hesitantly got up from his spot on the floor.

“Um…what should I be doing then?”

“ _You_ should just get out of my sight!” Negaduck turned sharply, sneering as he approached the trembling villain. “If I have to look at your sorry mug a second longer, I think I’ll end up making myself some salad out of your shredded remains!” He paused. “Or I’ll just toss that salad in the trash, where it belongs!”

Liquidator wasn’t quite sure what was with him that day. Maybe he was tired, or maybe that little shred of humanity inside him decided to rear its sad little head. But whatever it was, seeing Bushroot’s panicked expression reach the brink of tears as he was being cornered by a blood thirsty Negaduck made the water canine decide to rescue the fellow mutant for the second time that day and quickly appeared between them.

“You know, while the Liquidator is more than capable of nabbing those goods for ya boss,” While face to face with a clearly pissed off Negaduck, he could feel shaky hands press against his back. A not too unfamiliar situation for the duo to be certain, but one that often made Liquidator feel stronger as a result. “I’m sure Bushroot here could be of great assistance! After all, he is the one who recommended the heist in the first place!”

“Y-yeah! I can do that!” A squeak of fear escaped from Bushroot after being glared at. “It’ll, um, make me useful?”

Negaduck hummed at the thought. “Fine. You two can find us downtown when you’re done, and you better not come back empty handed!”

The mutated duo both nodded. Bushroot relaxed immensely once Negaduck had turned to leave with the others, stepping out from behind Liquidator. A hand stayed rested on the watery canine’s arm for a bit longer than intended however, not that he seemed to mind.

“Thanks for that…I owe you one.” Bushroot whispered. “…or I guess I owe you two, for earlier.”

“Don’t sweat it.” He whispered back. “Happy to help a teammate.”

Bushroot gave a small smile at that, glancing to the ground. Liquidator couldn’t help but a smile a bit in response to the action. Just as he was about to ask Bushroot what their course of action would be, Negaduck called out to them both as he walked away.

“Enjoy your crime date, you buncha weirdos!”

The comment had the duo jump back from one another with a startled yelp. They made eye contact for a second before immediately turning away. Liquidator rubbed at his neck, an instinctual reaction if nothing else. He made a quick glance to his blushing partner, who was tugging at his petals.

“Um…let’s just get on with the…”Bushroot swallowed, still highly flustered. “The, the thing…”

“Yes of course.” Liquidator nodded in agreement, wanting to push past the embarrassment and get on with their work. “The thing needs doing after all.”

He wanted to smack himself for sounding so stupid.

The rest of the evening didn’t fare much better for them afterwards. Normally the plant-water duo were a fairly capable pair when left to their own devices, their powers and personalities working off of one another to great success. However, it was strikingly obvious that other things were running in their minds as they broke into the museum and Bushroot set off the alarm accidentally. When the guards came running, they all but bolted out of the place, Liquidator tripping up the guards as a puddle as they left. They didn’t even make it far enough to _see_ the blasted exhibit let alone steal it.

Retreating in a nearby park, Bushroot collapsed onto a bench, head in his hands as he groaned. “That was beyond terrible.”

“Past studies have shown we’ve had better plans, and better outcomes in past crime waves.” That seemed to make Bushroot sink lower into his seat. Liquidator pulled up a spot next to him on the bench. “But I agree. We really screwed up there.”

“I’m such an idiot! I should’ve seen that trip alarm, I must’ve broken in there practically a dozen times, and it’s not like they ever change the system!” He fell backwards, staring upwards at the clear night sky. “Sorry I let you down, Likky.”

“Water under the bridge.” Liquidator laughed at his own joke. He cleared his throat awkwardly when it was clear it wasn’t helping the mood, instead choosing to stare out to the park’s pond in front of them. “So…what’s next? We’re going to get mauled by Negaduck one way or another.”

“In that case, I’ll enjoy my last moments of peace here for a bit if that’s alright with you.” Tired blue eyes looked over at Liquidator. “You can go ahead if you want to though. Don’t let me stop you.”

“If it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll just take a dip and clear my head. Why rush these things, y’know?”

Bushroot gave a shrug at that, lifting his head up from the bench to watch Liquidator dive into the pond. By the time the water had settled, there was the telltale movement of a form swimming around, pushing leaves and lily pads around as it went. Curious with the display, Bushroot sat upright as he watched. “Is swimming relaxing to you?”

“Come again?” Liquidator’s voice spoke from the water without the shape of a body, startling Bushroot a bit.

“I just mean-“ Bushroot tried to think of how to phrase his thought, his hand making circular motions as he did. “You’re made of water all the time, is there much of a difference swimming in it?”

Popping his head up, Liquidator looked up at Bushroot. The action made the plant blush and look away muttering an offhanded apology. He smirked at the sight. “I’ve always liked swimming. Calms me down, lets me unwind. Now that I’m H2O perfection, I can enjoy the sport on a far more unique level.”

“So how does it work?” As Liquidator returned to the water, Bushroot got out of his seat and knelt over the edge of the pond. “Do you just become the _entire_ body of water, or, or are you just your own body camouflaged with everything else?”

“Careful, Dr. Reginald,” The smooth voice teased. “Your scientist side is showing.”

“Can you blame me? Your existence is _fascinating!_ ” He laughed, and the sweet sound made Liquidator’s heart skip a beat-

Wait, it did _what?_

Liquidator stopped his movement in the water, keeping himself under the pond’s levels. Why did he have such a strong reaction to the other’s _laugh_ of all things? Bushroot’s laughed plenty of times before then…no, those were different. This wasn’t a laugh of an evil job well done or a laugh towards another’s misery, but just genuinely enjoying himself. Being _happy._

The water villain stared upwards. Bushroot was still rambling on about his theories and ideas towards the other’s mutation, but Liquidator couldn’t but analyse Bushroot instead. The way the moonlight shone behind the strange plant was a sight to behold…

He wanted to smack himself. If he had a physical form in that moment, Liquidator would’ve full on slapped himself in the face for even _thinking_ about that sort of thing. His head was screaming profanities at the things his heart was saying. He had never, _ever_ found Bushroot attractive before now, so why was it happening to him all at once? 

A wave of memories washed over him as he tried to pinpoint a source. He had always felt a sense of protection around the plant, but who could blame him? Bushroot wasn’t exactly the embodiment of bravery and confidence after all. But no, that was a lie, he corrected himself. He had seen just how vicious and deadly Bushroot could be if provoked enough, his strength was just conserved under layers of self-doubt. It made him interesting and unpredictable and Liquidator enjoyed that aspect of him.

But that couldn’t be attraction, could it? No! It had to be something else! Liquidator had never crushed on a guy before, and while Bushroot had his feminine aspects about him, from his slim figure to his otherwise motherly treatment to his plants, there was no mistaking he identified and presented himself as male. He was a guy, a guy that just so happened to look beautiful in this moment, that’s it, that’s all-!

Liquidator’s increasingly flustered thoughts of denial were brought to a halt when he felt a hand press against his cheek. Looking up, he saw Bushroot had put his hand in the water during his musings. He wasn’t aware he was actually touching Liquidator at all until the canine lifted his head up from the water.

Liquidator spoke very quietly in that moment. “Hi there.”

For a moment, it seemed like Bushroot wasn’t even aware of what he was doing. He seemed so lost in thought, his blue eyes staring right at Liquidator with a kind expression. But before long, the spell was broken, and those eyes widened after realizing what he was doing. Bushroot pulled his hand back like he had touched something burning.

“I’m sorry!” He squeaked, crawling backwards away from the water until his head knocked against the bench with a thud. Bushroot winced and rubbed at it. “Ow…”

“You alright?” Liquidator asked with mild concern. He pushed himself out of the pond and walked over to his companion, puddles following his footsteps.

“Yeah, this is nothing…” Glancing up and seeing how Liquidator was looking at him, Bushroot quickly turned away. “Stop that.”

“Stop what?” He knelt down, tilting his head to the side to try and catch the other’s eye.

“Feeling sorry for me. Looking down on me, I just-“ He bit his bottom lip, his whole body shaking like he was trying not to cry. “I know I’m pathetic, I don’t need you reminding me.”

Liquidator felt hurt and not just for the accusation. “I never said that-“

“You don’t have to, I can tell, okay?” Bushroot spat out the words, anger building up. “Why else would a guy as confident and impressive as you even want to hang around someone like me if not out of pity? You could have anyone else on the team to be your partner but you always pick _me_. You always choose _me_ , and I know you’re just doing it to watch me fail.”

“That’s a lie. You’re lying to yourself, Reginald.” It was ironic considering that was what Liquidator was doing with himself just moments before. Still, he couldn’t stand to hear how Bushroot interpreted their partnership, their _friendship_ for that matter. “I don’t choose to hang around you just to make myself look better.”

“Yeah, cause you don’t even have to try!” he choked out, a few tears beginning to fall despite how much he wished they wouldn’t. Bushroot roughly rubbed at his eyes. “Forget it. Let’s just go back to the others. I’ll cover for you with Negaduck-“

“We aren’t done here.” Liquidator said sternly, hands grabbing at the bench behind Bushroot to hold him where he sat. He was met with a cold glare. A hand grasped at his arm.

“Yes, we are.”

Before he had a chance to do anything, a nearby tree began creaking. Realizing what was happening too late, Liquidator’s form splatted onto the ground upon the impact of a swinging branch. Quickly reshaping himself, he dove out of the way to avoid another attack.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Liquidator.” Bushroot got up from the ground and patted the tree’s branch before it struck again. It seemed disheartened from being told to back off, but returned to its usual stance. Bushroot sighed heavily, and held himself. “Just…can we just _go_ already? I’m tired of this.”

“Not until you listen.” Liquidator spoke sternly, getting up off the ground but keeping a few steps distance in case Bushroot felt provoked enough to attack again. “You keep saying all these terrible things about yourself, but you’re forgetting everything that makes you an incredible asset to the team in the process.”

“Yeah,” he scoffed. “Some help I am.”

“ _Yes_ , you _are!_ ” Liquidator hissed, a fist shaking by his side. “Reginald Bushroot, you’re an intelligent scientist who can control all plant life for cripes sake! Can you think of anyone else who could come _close_ to the amount of strength you’re capable of? No! Don’t even answer that, the answer is _no!_ Your dedication to everything you work towards is impeccable, your passion to move forward is inspiring and above all else, you are the perfect partner for me!”

“Cause I’m a plant right? And the whole, two mutants in a team of five-“

Bushroot’s excuses were cut off short by watery lips capturing his. The experience was…extremely strange for both parties. Liquidator had one hand resting on Bushroot’s cheek, while his other arm quickly held the small of his back when it was clear the other was about to fall over from shock. Pulling back, Liquidator’s nose rested against the tip of Bushroot’s beak as he stared directly in his eyes.

“Cause I _like_ you Reginald. In more than a teammate way.”

 It seemed like time stopped in that moment. Bushroot’s mouth hung open as he tried to make a sound, any sound at all. His face was flushed, and Liquidator’s thumb caressed the darkened cheek it rested on.

“…I didn’t know you felt that way about me.” He managed to say in a quiet voice. “I never thought…I mean… _wow._ ”

“Believe me, the surprise is on both ends with all of this.” Liquidator chuckled a bit and pulled away, letting go of Bushroot once it was clear he wouldn’t topple over. “Sorry. This whole thing is new to me too. I don’t usually go around smoochin’ the people I only just realized I liked. Heck, I didn’t even realize I liked _guys_ until a couple of minutes ago.”

Bushroot held his hands over his beak, every now and then touching his lips at the memory of the kiss. He seemed a bit calmer than he had been earlier, but he still took long deep breaths. He mumbled something Liquidator couldn’t quite hear. When asked to repeat himself, Bushroot shyly stated, “Same here.”

Letting it all sink in for a moment, the two mutants began laughing at themselves and what they just got themselves into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two mutants discover they are very much not straight through one another. A love story for the ages, truly lol
> 
> I actually had a fun time exploring the idea of these two characters starting their relationship. It was easy for me to work with how their relationship functions but the actual starting point was an interesting challenge for me. Got some really nice visual moments at least!
> 
> Also, when Bushroot and Liquidator returned to base, they just claimed their failure was because of Darkwing and not their own incompetence. It was easier that way.


	12. Homeward Bound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megavolt questions Liquidator's story as the two keep walking to St Canard.

“So that’s it? You kissed him and everything just worked out?” Megavolt took a break from walking to empty his boot, a handful of pebbles and some sand falling out of it. He hopped around trying to put it back on. “Sounds like a load of idealized nonsense to me.”

“Ideal yes, but nonsense was not included.” Liquidator smiled, pleased to remember the pleasant evening. “We agreed on simply rolling with the new experience and see where it would lead us. I personally like to think it led us to a quite harmonious relationship. Excluding the whole, hiding-from-everyone aspect of it.”

“Yeah, well, welcome to the queer villain club. We’ve got jackets and meetings on Tuesdays.” Giving a stomp to ensure there wasn’t anything else irritating his foot, Megavolt began walking again. At least now their surroundings weren’t barren, having arrived in a forested area in the midst of Liquidator’s story. “I still think its corny though. Can’t believe it worked out that easily.”

“Oh, like I’m sure your confession was much better.” Liquidator huffed and crossed his arms. However cliché his was, the mutants were happy together now and that was what mattered in the long run. “I’d ask how your story went, but if you say it was a year ago, the chances of you remembering it are zero! Zip! Nada!”

“Hey! I don’t forget _everything_ you know!” Megavolt didn’t process the growing sound of thunder above them, too worked up from the accusation. “I can remember the important stuff!”

“Megavolt, you’ve forgotten your own name _four times_ in the years I’ve known you.”

“You think I don’t know that?” He paused and shook his head. “Don’t answer that! Listen Dripbrain, if your body and head was full of voltage 24/7, you’d be a little fuzzy on things too!”

“Alright, calm down then, you don’t want to blow a fuse or something.” Liquidator paused from his walking and looked up at the darkened sky. A raindrop hit his nose, splashing upon impact. “Er, actually it might be a little late for that now.”

Before Megavolt could question what Liquidator was on about, a sudden downpour of rain came crashing down on him. Freezing in place, the telltale sparks of the rodent short circuiting began emitting, his eye twitching as it happened. In an instant, Megavolt screamed as his whole body convulsed with the electrical discharge.

A part of Liquidator wanted to help, but he knew he’d only make things worse. Plus, the water villain had seen this happen many times in the past, and sure enough, the situation passed quickly, leaving Megavolt a dizzy and soaked mess. Figuring there was no harm by that point, Liquidator slid over and wrapped an arm around his ally, supporting him upright.

“…I hate the rain.” Megavolt sniffled. “I wanna go home, I miss Quackerjack.”

“The feeling of wanting to be with the guy you care for most is mutual.” The two sighed, standing on the roadside with no idea how much farther they had left to travel. Glancing up the road, Liquidator squinted at the sight of something in the distance. Realizing what it was, he noticeably perked up. “And maybe reunion is sooner than we think, look!”

Pointing forward, a pair of headlights shone through the lifting darkness. A truck was approaching after the many hours of silence on the road. Megavolt lit up at the sight, and tried to strike at the vehicle with a zap of electricity, to obvious failure. Liquidator gave him a sympathetic pat and dove forward to do his part.

The truck driver screamed as his windshield was blocked by a tidal wave of water. The wipers he had turned on were useless to his vision and he swerved the truck before ultimately slamming on the breaks. His panicked breathing only worsened when the water started shifting and slid in through the crevices of the door, until the terrified driver came face to face with one of his local super villains grinning down at him. Hearing a knock on the door, Liquidator rolled down the window, causing the driver to scream again at the sight of Megavolt laughing sinisterly.

“Hey man, we’re lost. Think you can give us a lift back to town?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They got wheels! Watch out St Canard; your villains are coming home!
> 
> But are Bushroot and Quackerjack ready on their side of things...?


	13. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bushroot and Quackerjack make their move.

By morning, Bushroot and Quackerjack were sent to garden detailing. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t a bad chore to be forced into, the two normally enjoyed it in fact. But with everything waiting outside the stone walls surrounding them, irritation and impatience were high.

“I could just raise these vegetables up, bust down the walls and get us out of here,” Bushroot grumbled as he sowed the ground for new seeds. “It would be so _easy._ ”

“Yeah, easy for them to catch us.” Quackerjack replied, taking his frustration out at the weeds. The task wasn’t as much fun when there was something else he wanted so close yet so far away. “I don’t know about you, but I can’t swim back to the main land faster than a boat or helicopter could trying to catch me.”

“At least it’d be better than waiting around for something to happen!” Bushroot tossed his garden hoe in anger and it bounced off of the wall. Pulling at his petals, he screamed. “I can’t _take_ this anymore!”

“Hey! This isn’t a picnic for me either!” Quackerjack got up with a huff and marched over to the seething plant, grabbing his arms and shaking him. “You think this is a game!”

“What are you even on about-!”

The grip on his arms tightened for a moment before Quackerjack quickly leaned in to whisper. “The guards are watching us, if we make a big enough scene, they’ll come running, and we’ll catch them off guard and grab their keys.”

Bushroot gaped, impressed with how fast the jester thought up a plan. A very crude one mind you, but it was at least a start. A few guards were paying attention, but they didn’t seem eager to intervene just yet. Fact, it looked like they _wanted_ to watch the villains tear each other apart, making Bushroot highly uncomfortable with the thought. Shaking his head, he tried to get into the role.

“Oh _yeah?_ ” He violently shoved Quackerjack off of him. His speech was forced like he was reading from a script. “Well, you’re just a _jerk_! Who needs you anyway! I’m better off alone here!”     

“Ooo, good improv.” Quackerjack bit back his desire to laugh. He made a note never to do stage plays with Bushroot. Clearing his throat, he decided to show him how it was done. “Well, I’m sure the fellas here will be so glad I gotten rid of the biggest weed of all!”

“Oh, just you try it, clown boy!” Bushroot held out his fists. It really wasn’t all that intimidating considering they were leaves. “I’ll stuff you into a big ole Jack-In-The-Box in the ground!”

Figuring that was his cue to act, and being a bit genuinely offended from the clown comment, Quackerjack yelled and jumped him, the two crashing to the ground. A dust cloud forming around them, the two criminals pushed and shoved each other as they rolled on the dirt floor, Bushroot attempting to make some convincing punches while Quackerjack decided to full on bite Bushroot’s arm.

“Ow!” The mutant yelped before quickly whispering. “Do you have to be so convincing?”

“Better show, faster results.” He spat and stuck out his tongue in disgust. “Ugh, it’s like eating vegetables.”

Bushroot managed to land a solid kick to Quackerjack’s torso, pushing the jester off of him. Looking over, he saw a group of guards running at them. “It’s working!”

“Well don’t stop _now!_ ” Quackerjack laughed manically. “It’s _playtime_ after all!”

The plant started to regret the plan when he saw the violent look in the other’s eyes. Bracing himself, Bushroot got tackled to the ground once more and felt his back start to get torn up from the rocks underneath him. Trying to at least keep up the show while also protecting himself, he wrapped his arms around Quackerjack’s fists like vines, holding him back from punching Bushroot in the face. He was met with a headbutt in retaliation that made both villains see stars.

“Remind me…never to get into an _actual_ fight with you…”

“Hey, hey knock it off!” A guard called out. They recognized him as the fellow that chewed them out for the previous night’s talking, and he roughly pulled Quackerjack up from his waist, Bushroot releasing his hold on him as it happened. “Did you numbskulls knock your brains out, come on!”

“He started it officer, I’m innocent!” Quackerjack yelled out, his legs thrashing. He did _not_ enjoy being held like this, so his actions weren’t completely fake. “He called me a clown!”

“You _are_ a clown!” Another officer piped in, pulling Bushroot up by his wrist as another guard on his left did the same to the other side. Bushroot eyed them both, and allowed his hands to twist around their wrists lightly enough that they wouldn’t notice.

“You aren’t playing fair!” Quackerjack shouted, noticing what Bushroot was up to and making sure the guards’ attentions remained on him. He could play the distraction role well. “This place is a sham, a farce! The government is feeding you all lies, we’re innocent! _You’re_ the real criminals!”

“He’s lost his mind. Or, lost more of it anyhow.” The guard holding him huffed and struggled to keep his grasp. “I’m taking this screw loose clown into solitary!”

“Well actually,” Bushroot tightened his grasp on the guards’ arms. They made a shocked noise in response. “He’s not a clown, he’s a jester!”

Ducking down, Bushroot pulled the two officers by their wrists and had their skulls knock into one another. As they fell to the ground in a heap, Quackerjack took that moment to push his body forward enough to let his feet touch the floor. Grabbing his captor’s shirt with a laugh, he quickly somersaulted forward, sending the guard head first into the dirt and crushing him under his weight.

“Thanks for that, Bushie.” Quackerjack giggled as he sat on top of the unconscious man. “I’m touched. Really I am.”

“Spare me the flattery, we’re not done yet.” Hearing the security guards on the walls above start to stir in a panicked frenzy, Bushroot grabbed the keys off of one of the bodies. “One of these should be for the vehicles. Maybe we can get a boat to get out of here! C’mon!”

“Ooo, I call shotgun!”

Running back into the prison’s building, they started making their way through the mazes of hallways and floors to get to the entrance.  Whenever they encountered a handful of guards, Bushroot would stretch his body and wrap around the group to immobilize them and Quackerjack would come in to land the knockout blow using the trowel they’d foolishly given him to weed with earlier. It was a slow process, but at least it was process in their favor.

However, just when it seemed like freedom was in sight, a resounding explosion echoed through the building. The noise had the two stare at one another in confusion, until realization struck them. Not a word was said as they chose to run towards the sound, hopeful that their hunches were correct.

 

* * *

 

“…and _that’s_ why I had you carry the bombs!” Megavolt said, gesturing towards the giant hole in the prison’s brick wall. “Instant entrance!”

“Yes, but noise attracts guards, and guards attract trouble!” Liquidator shook his head violently. “Never mind all that! What’s done is done! I’ll stay on guard out here, you just go find the others!”

“Alright jeez! Who died and made you boss?” The electrical villain was shoved into the building as a response.

“Just _hurry!_ ” He stuck his tongue out at Liquidator before making a blind run for it.

Megavolt had escaped from this particular prison a handful of times, but even with a perfect memory it wasn’t easy knowing which way to go. The hallways would change from narrow passageways to grand halls that could fill hundreds, all with impossibly high ceilings and similar furniture. He figured it wasn’t tactile to even try thinking, and just made a dash to where he assumed the prison cell holding area was.

Hearing a group of guards approach, which he could tell just based on the sound of five heavy set footsteps, Megavolt skidded to a halt. Powering up his electricity he waited for the exact moment the guards turned the corner, letting his voltage loose with a maniacal laugh. The five men fell in a heap, and the rodent jumped on top of their backs to get over them.

Even though they had made a pit stop to his lighthouse upon arrival to St. Canard, Megavolt knew he didn’t have enough charge in him to take out _every_ guard in the joint, but a handful of them couldn’t hurt. After all, they were holding his boyfriend captive; the justice was clear in his twisted mind. Fact, a part of him wanted to go even _further_ with the torture, but he digressed.

“Gah! Who designed this place anyway?” Megavolt grit his teeth as he entered a room he was certain he ran through before. Checking the various doors, he chose a different path. “Whoever it was, I oughta knock their lights out! This is supposed to be a prison, not a stupid labyrinth!”

By the time Megavolt had found himself in the corridors of the main entrance, he had to lean against the brick walls to breathe. His chest heaved; he’d ran more in the past twenty four hours than he had in quite a long time and once everything was over, and he had Quackerjack back, Megavolt swore he was going to just collapse and sleep for an entire day. He knew he’d reached peak exhaustion when his vision started to blur and made him think he was seeing the brightly colored criminal in question. Fact, after he rubbed at his eyes under his goggles, it almost seemed like the hallucination was coming _closer…_

“Megsy!”

Quackerjack leapt mid run and tackled his partner in a hug, knocking the pair over onto the ground as he did. Megavolt coughed, getting the wind knocked out of him for a moment. Realizing what he was seeing and feeling wasn’t an illusion, he quickly returned the hug with a tight squeeze.

“I found you!” he laughed as Quackerjack peppered his cheek with kisses. “Hey, come on, I’ve played enough hide and seek to know how to find you, Quacky. Quit it, you’re embarrassing me!”

“Oh, I missed you. Let me have this, dummy.” Giving one last kiss to the cheek, Quackerjack got up off of the ground, pulling his boyfriend up with him. “How’d you get here anyway?”

“It’s a long story…and I’d probably be missing a lot of pieces of it. I’ll try telling you later, c’mon!” Megavolt grabbed Quackerjack’s hand and pulled him down the hallway he came from, intending to retrace his steps back to where he came in. “We gotta find Bushroot. If I show up without him, Liquidator won’t give us a ride back to the main land.”

“Right, I doubt the lovebirds want to be separated for much longer.” Quackerjack laughed at how Megavolt paused and gave him a surprised look. “Didn’t you know? The Fearsome Five is like a dating hub at this point.”

“Well, I don’t know how _you_ found out, but Likky gave me the whole spiel last night.” Seeing how the jester’s eyes lit up at that, Megavolt raised a finger. “Story for later. First we gotta find that string bean.”

“Oh that’s _easy_ ; Bushie and I were just on our way out of here anyway!”

Megavolt’s jaw dropped at that. Before he could ask about it, he was quickly dragged the other direction to where Quackerjack had first approached him. Waiting anxiously and constantly checking around the hallway’s corners was Bushroot, who jolted when he realized he had company.

“Quackerjack! You can’t just run off like that!” Bushroot scolded to the high amused criminal. “We’re trying to get out of here you know! You can’t just get distracted- hi Megavolt- by something and run off without- wait, _what!_ ”

“Good to see you too Bushbrain.” Megavolt snickered along with his laughing partner at the way Bushroot’s expression jumped around from surprise to confusion repeatedly. “Come on, your boyfriend is _dying_ to see you.”

“Buddy’s here too?” The excitement in Bushroot’s voice was clear, his blue eyes lighting up at the concept.

“Of course he’s here, how else do you think I got across a massive body of water to get to this stupid island?” There was a pause. “…He drove the boat.”

“You never were very good at driving boats.” Quackerjack remarked, giving Megavolt a nudge. “Driving cars, planes and other people crazy, yeah, but _boats_ -“

“Who cares! Let’s get out of here already!” Bushroot shoved the duo and looked over at Megavolt. “Lead the way!”

Quackerjack raised an eyebrow at the plant, before whispering to Megavolt as they walked. “ _Someone’s_ eager for a tall glass of water.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sweet, sweet victory! ...for one couple at least. The end is within sight! Will they find freedom or failure?


	14. Freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's now or never to escape St Canard's prison!

Liquidator’s foot tapped impatiently. How _long_ did it take to go break out two super villains from a high level security prison? They’ve done it countless times in the past after all, and not all of them relied on Negaduck saving them.

“Oh, _hurry!_ Escape is a limited time offer!” He muttered, glancing over the edge of the island repeatedly to make sure the rope ladder they climbed up the cliff side on hadn’t suddenly vanished, or that the motor boat they tied up on the beach far below hadn’t magically burst into flames or something. He shook his head. Fatigue and anxiety were getting to him; it’d been a long day with no rest after all.

Hearing a noise from above, Liquidator quickly fell into a puddle shape to avoid being noticed by a guard passing in a panic from all the commotion. Just to play it safe, he kept the form for a while longer than needed. He only barely processed a conversation growing from the direction of the exploded prison wall.

“…and we even got to play ‘Facts Trade’! And let me tell you, Bushie is nowhere near as fun to play with as you are. But he tried his best.”

“It’s gotta beat Liquidator. The guy barely played it! Seriously, he was such a stick in the-“

“Glad to see you found one another!” Liquidator shot up from his puddle state, resulting in a surprised shriek from Megavolt and Quackerjack, the former clutching his chest from the mini heart attack. “I’m sure you came together like crashing magnets. What a pair!”

“Oh, I take it you found out about us.” Quackerjack laughed half-heartedly at the watery canine. “Lemme guess; ‘Facts Trade’ turned into a gossip spiel slash heart to heart for you too?” 

“More or less.” He shrugged. “It’s amazing what being stuck with someone for so long can to do you.”

“That’s all fine and dandy, but I’m not sticking around here for much longer,” Megavolt gestured for Quackerjack to follow and the two walked over to the rope ladder. “There’s a swarm of guards on our trail, and Bushroot can’t hold them off forever.”

“Reggie is doing _what!_ ” Liquidator shouted in a panic.

“Oh yeah…you might wanna help him out with that.”

Growling in anger over how nonchalant his fellow teammates were about Bushroot’s situation, Liquidator chose to ignore throttling them in favor of diving over to the prison wall’s blasted entrance. It didn’t take a genius to figure out where to go from there; he could hear a struggle happening around the corner down the hall. Sure enough, peering around it, Liquidator saw Bushroot struggling to keep hold of a guard and using him as an essential weapon to keep a group of officers back.

The plant’s face was fierce, but inside he knew he was fighting a very much losing battle. With the limited amount of sunlight he got, there was only so much strength left in his arms. But he knew the minute he put down the guard he wouldn’t be able to outrun the pack and Bushroot would just get pinned down by the massive men and women approaching him angrily.

He really regretted telling Quackerjack and Megavolt to go on without him. It was stupid of him to even try playing the hero in this situation. Wincing as a sharp pain ran through his arm from over exhaustion, Bushroot dropped the guard he had as leverage and knew his fate was sealed.

“You know, nine out of ten doctors recommend you _never_ attack a supervillain in front of his boyfriend!”

Bushroot gasped as a rush of water moved past him and quickly filled the hallway. The guards all screamed in panic as a large wave of water grew in front of them and crashed down with a loud splash. As the officers were pushed back from the impact, coughing up water as they did, they had little time to get back on their feet as Liquidator formed the shape of a mallet and smacked the group into a wall. Pleased with his work at rendering his enemies unconscious, he didn’t even hear the sound of wooden footsteps running towards him.

But when he did, Liquidator caught his joyous partner and held him in a kind embrace.

“I’m so glad you’re okay.” Bushroot spoke softly, face lightly nuzzling in what made up Liquidator’s torso. “I was worried.”

“The feeling went both ways, but certainty that I would do whatever it took to find you kept me going.” Liquidator assured, gently petting the petals on top Bushroot’s head. “I missed you.”

“I missed you more.” Bushroot smiled brightly and leaned up to give him a kiss.

 

* * *

 

Quackerjack and Megavolt sat in the boat impatiently waiting for their associates. Megavolt stared up at the cliff side watching for activity on the ladder while Quackerjack stared in the waters, watching small fish swim by. He poked a couple he could reach.

“What’s taking them so long?” The rodent groaned, wincing as the sun caught his eye. “You think they got recaptured?”

“Pft, hardly.” Bored with the fish, Quackerjack slid next to his boyfriend and swung an arm around his side. “I bet they’re too busy making out.”

“Gross, don’t give me the mental image!” Megavolt shuddered. “I don’t even want to _know_ how you can even kiss a body of water.”

“Here’s hoping you never have to experience that for yourself!” He laughed, but was cut off by a quick firm kiss from the other. No matter how many times it happened, the action always made Quackerjack’s cheeks go red. “My, aren’t we forward today?”

“Just testing something, and yup. I’d rather kiss you any day.” Leaning forward, Megavolt gave the jester another quick peck, resulting in him getting a light shove. Quackerjack pulled down his hat, going into a fit of embarrassed giggles. “I’m serious you know!”

“Oh, I’m not saying otherwise, Megsy.” Quackerjack leaned back and lay on the boat’s seats, kicking his feet up over the edge. “’sides, if you did leave me, I’d just hope you’d leave me for someone better than ole wetwilly.”

“Like I’d ever be able to find someone who could match your level of insanity.” Megavolt went back to looking up at the ladder. Still no sign of the rest of their group. “I doubt anyone out there would be crazy enough to put up with me like you are.”

“Yeah, but I love you, so it works out.”

Megavolt jolted a bit at that, his face turning red. His eyes shifted side to side as he thought hard about what he heard. “…did you ever tell me you loved me before?”

“Mmm, nope.” Quackerjack reached over and rested a hand on his partner’s arm, giving it a pat. “First time I said it. Thought about it a lot though.”

“Oh.” Megavolt looked over and held the hand by his arm, blush still evident on his face as he smiled. “Well, thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I love you too.”

“Gee, I would _hope_ you did after everything.” Quackerjack sat up as he noticed movement coming from above them. “Never mind that, looks like we’ve got company now.”

“Finally!” Megavolt yelled up to the abnormal forms coming down the ladder. “Hurry up already! If we hang around much longer, Darkwing Dork’s going to get us!”

“Shut your socket, we’re coming!” Liquidator jumped down from off of the ladder once got close enough to the ground. He landed in the boat with a splash, much to the current occupants’ annoyance. Liquidator held up his arms, and Bushroot jumped off the ladder to land in his grasp. “Without further delay, let’s set a course for home!”

“Home sounds delightful, Buddy.” Bushroot gave him a brief kiss on the cheek before being let down gently to one of the boat’s empty seats. Quackerjack gagged as he sat upright.

“This is going to be a whole _thing_ with you two now, isn’t it?”

“What Negaduck won’t know won’t hurt him!” Liquidator spoke proudly as he went to start up the motor. “And what the rest of the Fearsome Five know will just have to deal with it!”

Sounds of complaints and annoyance were drowned out by the motor engine coming to life. Within moments, the boat of supervillains made its way back to St. Canard’s mainland, with the passengers on board conversing over what their plans would be upon arrival. No matter what, one thing was clear;

They would all sleep better than ever knowing that when push comes to shove, the Fearsome Four had each other’s backs in a way none of them could’ve ever expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...and we've reached the end! 
> 
> Whew! This was the longest fic I've written to date, thank you for reading it! I hope you had as much fun as I did with this story :D I'm curious with myself if I'll write more DWD fics in the future; let me know if there was anything you'd like more of from me (ships and situations for example) and I'll keep them into consideration! Otherwise, see you guys in the next story!


End file.
